Legacy in Green and Black
by Robert Teague
Summary: 3rd in the Green Glory series. Team Possible is moving up in the world. New headquarters, new agents, and new problems.
1. Opening Day

Legacy in Green and Black

by Robert Teague rteague AT bellsouth DOT net

This story is written solely for the entertainment of Kim Possible fans, and no copyright infringment is intended. This story may be reproduced, provided no changes are made, and you let me know.

Author's Note:

This is the sequel to "In a Blaze of Green Glory", and "Unexpected Gift". It helps if you read those first.

This is by far the darkest and most violent story I have ever written. It also has another first for me; a same-gender pairing.

Consider yourself warned.

Many thanks to Sakuracc, not only for the reviews, but for being my consultant on kung fu and Japanese.

Also many thanks to Sheryl Nantus for her helpful comments and encouragement.

Chapter 1 Opening Day

Eleven people stood by a glass door at the front of a recently renovated office/warehouse building in Middleton's warehouse district. The building's front was dark red brick, nicely landscaped along the front. The only indication of who the building's occupants were was a modest sign by the door that read: Team Possible.

Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable stood at the door. Rufus sat on Ron's shoulder. By them were Kim's parents and twin brothers, and Ron's parents.

Monique Robinson, Kim's best girl friend, was there as well. She had been hired to be the office manager/secretary. After several years of working at Club Banana, she had seen there was little hope for advancement there, so had jumped at the chance to be with her friends at much better pay.

For anyone familiar with Team Possible's exploits, the remaining two people were a surprise.  
In a gesture that had sent shockwaves through both the law-abiding and evil communities,  
they had hired two former villians.

Francis Lurman, aka Frugal Lucre, had lost his job at Smarty Mart, and after release from prison his mother had kicked him out of the house. Wade found him flipping burgers at Nasty Burger in Amity Park. Eager to make amends, he took the job of accountant and building manager for Team Possible.

Adrena-Lynn Rush, the former extreme stuntwoman, had found a job as a clerk in a small cracker factory after her release. She was now Team Possible's media relations person.

Of course, Wade was keeping a discreet eye on both of them until he decided they could be trusted completely.

Kim put a key in the lock and turned it. "I now declare Team Possible open for business!"

There was cheering from all. They had waited a long time for this moment.

After hugs and congratulations, the group broke up. The Doctors Possible, and Mr. and Mrs.  
Stoppable had work, and Jim and Tim had school. They had all been inside many times during the renovations, so weren't missing anything.

As those who worked there went inside, they breathed deeply of the cool air that now surrounded them, and moved toward their respective offices.

The lobby was small, but tastefully furnished. There was a receptionist's desk, stocked and equiped, but vacant. Monique had her own office, and if anyone came in, she would come to greet them. There was a portrait of Shego by the door, with a plaque dedicating the building in her memory.

"Oh, Adrena," said Kim, catching her by the elbow.

The older girl stopped and looked at her with a smile. When they had found her, she was thin, unkemp, and unhappy. Now she had returned to her smart, stylish, and sassy self.

"I want you to make up a press release telling about the opening," said Kim.

Adrena's smile widened. "Already done, Kim. It's on your desk for approval," she responded.

"That was fast," said Kim.

Adrena laughed. "I can say without bragging that I'm good at what I do. I finished it last night." Then she turned serious. "Kim, I don't know what on earth posessed you to hire me after what I tried to do, but I want you to know I'm very grateful. I know Francis feels the same way."

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Adrena," said Kim, "I learned that from my friend Shego."

"Well, I promise we won't disappoint you, or let you down," was the answer.

"I'll hold you to that," said Kim, smiling.

"I hope so," said Adrena, softly, then left for her office.

In her own office, Kim sat down to her first official bit of business; the press release.  
She read it carefully, amazed at the snappy prose style that made it seem much more exciting than it really was. Adrena had not been bragging; she WAS good.

She had given Adrena standing orders that Ron's part was not to be left out of any press release, and his name was to be spelled correctly. It was.

She hit the intercom on her desk. "Adrena?"

"Yes, Kim?" was the immediate response.

"This is great work! Go ahead and send it out," Kim answered.

"I'll take care of it," replied Adrena, "And thanks."

kpkpkp

After lunch, which consisted of take-out from Bueno Nacho, Kim hit the intercom button again. "Mon, can you come to my office?"

"Sure, Kim, be right there," was the reply.

A moment later, there was a tap on the door, and Monique let herself in. "What up, girl?"

"I need to show you something," said Kim, "It's a secret, and you have to promise not to reveal it."

"Girl, you know me. Gossip's one thing, but secrets are something else. You can trust me," said Monique.

"Come in and lock the door," said Kim smiling.

Monique did so, and stepped over to Kim's desk.

Kim unlocked a drawer in her desk, and brought out a metal box painted white about six inches cubed. "Put your thumb on the silver square," said Kim, and Monique did.

"Monique Robinson identified and approved," said the box. There was a click, and the top of the box swung open. Revealed was a crystal the size and shape of a hen's egg.  
It glowed with the green and black of Shego's power, swirling in neverending cycles.

Kim heard a sharp intake of breath. "It's beautiful! What is it?"

"It's Shego's Crystal. It's filled with a bit of her power. She gave it to me last year to remember her by," answered Kim.

"Wait. LAST year?" I thought she died three years ago on that trip into space," said Monique.

"That's part of the secret," said Kim, and proceeded to tell her the true story of the mission, and what happened to Shego. She also told her of the Crystal's other purpose,  
as a beacon.

"That's amazing," Monique said, "But why tell me, if the government wants it secret?"

"No secrets between us, Monique," said Kim, "You're my best girl friend, and I trust you."

"Thanks for that, Kim. I'll keep it secret," said Monique, "My face is tight."

Kim laughed. "You should also know that only four other people in the world know about this-- Ron, Wade, and my parents. And of course Rufus. You are also one of the few who can open this box. There are other boxes for it at my house, Ron's and Wade's.

Monique nodded. "Can I hold it?"

"Oh, sure, go ahead," said Kim.

Monique gingerly touched it with a finger, but felt nothing but the smooth, cool crystal.  
She lifted it, and weighed it in her hand. "It's heavy. What's it made of?"

Kim shook her head. "I don't know. Wade did some scans, but didn't want to risk damage.  
I do know it's denser than any natural crystal."

Monique nodded, and put the Crystal back in the box. Suddenly there was a beep. "Phone call," she said, "I'd better get back to my desk."

"Talk to you later," said Kim as Monique left.

Kim put the Crystal away, and sat down. There was no business left on her desk, so she decided to do some exercises in the dojo.

Just then the door opened, and Ron stepped inside. He closed the door behind him.

Kim got up and enveloped him in a hug. Then they shared a long, deep kiss. They were engaged to be married, but as they were only twenty, not in any hurry. They had decided to hold off until their lives settled down. For the same reason, they were attending Upperton University as part-time students. Kim's major was Law Enforcement, while Ron's was Culinary Arts.

Finally they let go of each other, reluctantly.

"What's up?" asked Kim.

"I, uh, got an email from Yori," said Ron, seemingly with reluctance.

"Oh? How is she?" asked Kim.

"She's fine, and sends her greetings and congratulations," said Ron.

Kim nodded. "And?"

Ron sighed. He and Kim could read each other like books. "Sensei wants me to come back to Yamanouchi for more training with the Lotus Blade."

Ron had done so several times over the last few years, staying a month or so, and each time coming back less clumsy, and a better fighter.

"But?" asked Kim.

"It'll be for six months, this time," said Ron.

"Six months?" Right now?" asked Kim, visibly upset.

"Well, she said 'soon', not 'immediately', so I can probably hold off going for a while"  
answered Ron.

"I won't be able to handle missions without you for that long," said Kim.

Ron grinned. "Always need a distraction."

Kim smiled, thinking. "Maybe we should start the recruiting program now."

"That's an idea. Then I won't have to worry about you not having backup," said Ron.

Kim went to her desk and hit the intercom button. "Adrena, would you come to my office, please?" 


	2. New Recruits

Chapter 2 New Recruits 

"Okay, that's enough for today," said Kim. It was two weeks later, and she and her students were in the dojo.

Monique and Adrena stood breathing heavily, their hands on their knees. Francis collapsed where he was. Kim had insisted that as members of Team Possible they know how to defend themselves if the building or they were attacked. They all saw the sense of this, but that didn't make it any easier.

Of the three, Adrena learned the quickest, but Monique had the better natural technique.  
Francis lagged behind in everything, and Kim was considering letting him out.

Kim let Monique and Adrena use the showers first, and she took the time to meditate. When her turn came, she took her time and enjoyed the shower. A voice suddenly intruded on her solitude.

"Kim?" it was Monique.

"Yeah?" she called.

"Some recruits have shown up," she answered.

That's right! Today was the day for anyone interested in trying out to become operatives for Team Possible be here!

Kim could have sworn she heard laughter in Monique's voice. "How many?"

"Two. I put them in the conference room," was the answer.

Now she was sure Monique was amused by something. "Be right there."

Ten minutes later, she opened the door to the conference room. The two people sat with their backs to the door.

She walked in briskly. "Good morning! I'm Kim Possible, and you are..." she turned toward them, and her eyes grew wide. "...the last two people in the world I would expect to see."

Tara Matthews giggled. "Hi, Kim."

Bonnie Rockwaller smiled thinly. "K."

Monique was doubled over with laughter. "Girl, if you could see your face!"

Wade appeared on the TV in the corner, a huge grin on his face. "She will!" he said, "I got it all recorded!"

"WADE!" shouted Kim, and the young genius disappeared. She pulled out a chair and sat down. "So, this was a joke?"

"No, we're serious," said Bonnie.

"We really want to try out," said Tara.

They slid their resumes and applications towards Kim, who gathered them up, but didn't look at them. Emerald green eyes shifted back and forth between her high school classmates, finally settling on Tara.

"Tara, why do you want to do this?" she asked.

"I've always admired what you and Ron do," she answered, "Helping people, kicking bad guy butt, saving the world. After graduation, my folks couldn't afford to send me to college, so I got a job at Middleton Motor Lodge as a night clerk.

I'll never be able to save enough to go to college on what they pay me, so when I saw the ad, I jumped at it."

"But Tara, you're the nicest, sweetest, gentlest girl I've ever known. I don't believe you have a mean bone in your body. Do you even know anything about fighting?" asked Kim.

Tara lowered her eyes modestly. "4th level Nan Chaun in Kung Fu," she said.

Kim's eyes bugged out.

"We go to class together," said Bonnie, "But I'm a 2nd level."

"H--how does that happen?" asked Kim in a faint voice.

"When I turned fourteen, my daddy enrolled me," Tara answered. "He wanted me to be able to defend myself from... uh, overly amourous boyfriends." She giggled. "I liked it, so stayed with it."

"She invited me, and I found it was good for my reflexes and coordination, and I've stayed with it too," said Bonnie.

"Bonnie, what's your story?" asked Kim, looking at her.

Bonnie sighed. "First, I want to apologize for the way I've acted and treated you and Stop-- Ron over the years."

"Really," said Kim.

"I don't blame you for being sceptical, but yes, really," said Bonnie.

"She means it, Kim," said Tara.

"After graduation, all my so-called friends disappeared, and didn't have time for me any more. When I started college I found them, but they were following somebody else, and wouldn't even acknowledge my existence. I was suddenly a very small fish in a very large pond.

I found out who my real friend is then," she said. She put her hand on Tara's arm, and the blonde smiled. "I've realized what a shallow, self-centered, stuck up, egotistial witch I've been, putting you and Ron and others down to build myself up. Well, no more.

I've done a lot of growing up in the last two years, and it's past time I made amends," said Bonnie. "I also realized that no matter what I did to humiliate you and Ron, you just shrugged it off, and were still there when I needed you. Not many people would do that.

As to why I want to do this, I remembered when you and I were stuck together, and went after that... Demental guy. That WAS kinda fun, so I thought I would try it out again, as long as we don't have to be joined at the hip."

Kim shuddered at the memory. "No, that shouldn't happen again."

Tara giggled, then turned serious. "Tell her the rest."

Bonnie turned red beneath her tan.

"You promised," said Tara.

"Okay, fine," said Bonnie.

"Don't laugh, Kim," said Tara.

Kim shook her head. What on earth...?

"I saw a therapist for a while," said Bonnie, "And with his help I realized a lot of my attitude was due to me wanting approval from my sisters. You remember them?"

Kim nodded.

"I never got it," sighed Bonnie, "And now I know I don't need it. Never did. So I'm just trying to be a better person."

"But what about going to college?" asked Kim.

Bonnie shrugged. "My family is well off, and going to college or not is my choice."

"You might remember that this involves breaking nails and frizzies," said Kim.

"I know, but that stuff has gotten to be less important to me," said Bonnie.

"We do more than fight freaks. We don't do baby sitting or cats in trees (unless we happen to be on the spot), but we do take on natural disasters and other occasions when people need help," said Kim.

"We're prepared for that too," said Bonnie. She and Tara opened their wallets, and handed Kim some cards. They were current certificates for CPR and First Aid.

"You've been planning this, haven't you?" asked Kim, returning the cards.

Tara giggled. "As I said, I admire what you do."

"She generally drags me with her," said Bonnie, "But I don't really mind."

"Well, I'm glad, because you've earned the next step. Let's go to the dojo. Are you prepared for that?" asked Kim.

Bonnie and Tara looked at each other and smiled. "As a matter of fact, we are. We brought our gis."

"I'm impressed!" said Kim, "Let's go." She stood up.

Just then the door opened, and Ron came in. "I heard the new recruits are here, and decided to introduce them to the Ron-man," he said. Then he looked at the visitors.  
"Tara? BONNIE?" he said, shocked.

"Hi, Ron," said Tara, and got up and hugged him.

"Hey, Ron," said Bonnie, giving him a genuine smile.

This shocked Ron even more, and his mouth gaped open. Kim stepped over, and closed it for him.

"And while I've got you both together, congratulations on your engagement," said Tara,  
and hugged them both.

"Th- thanks, Tara," said Ron, turning red and backing away.

"Tara, would you and Kim go on ahead? I need to talk to Ron," said Bonnie. "I'll bring the gis with me."

"Sure," said Tara, and left the room.

Ron stared at Kim, who gave him a slight nod, then followed Tara.

Five minutes later, Bonnie came into the dojo, carrying both her and Tara's gis.

"How did it go?" asked Kim.

"I'm not sure. He was so nervous I don't think he really heard me," answered Bonnie.

"Oh, he did. It will just take him some time to process it. Expect him to give you a test at some point, just to see if it was real," said Kim.

Bonnie smiled. "Bring it on."


	3. Evaluation

Chapter 3 Evaluation 

Tara and Bonnie changed into their gis in the girl's locker room, and returned to the dojo. They found Kim waiting for them. She was still wearing her street clothes, but had taken off her shoes and socks.

The recruits stopped at the edge of the mats. Bonnie immediately went into a familiar pose; eyes narrowed, hip cocked, and arms crossed.

"I guess some things don't change," thought Kim. Out loud she said, "Who do you study under?"

"Sensei Michaels," answered Tara.

"I studied under him too," said Kim.

"We know," said Bonnie, "He's always talking about how good you were."

"I still sense some hostility on your part, Bonnie, so why don't we start with you?" grinned Kim.

Bonnie stepped onto the mat, and the two girls bowed to each other. Bonnie took a stance,  
but Kim just stood looking at her. After some fifteen seconds, Bonnie stood up.

"Aren't you going to fight, K?" she asked.

"I want you to throw everything you've got at me," said Kim, "Don't hold back, and don't worry about hurting me."

Bonnie grinned. "You asked for it!"

She took her stance again, then threw a hard kick at Kim's midsection, only to find her ex-rival gone. "Where...?" she thought, then felt Kim's warm breath on her neck, and a finger poke her between the shoulder blades.

Immediately she slammed an elbow back, but met only air. "Huh?" thought Bonnie, "How did she..." A finger poked her in the ribs.

Instead of throwing another blow, Bonnie flipped away to the other side of the mat, and took her stance again.

"Very good," thought Kim, "She's learned to control her temper and think. She's also incorporated some cheerleading moves."

This time Kim took a stance, and the fight began in earnest.

After a flurry of kicks and blocks and fists that went on for ten minutes without a break,  
they finally separated. Bonnie was breathing hard, while Kim was barely winded.

Bonnie's defense was good, but Kim found holes in it. When she hit Bonnie, she made sure it was barely a tap. Bonnie had failed to lay so much as a finger on Kim.

Kim could see the frustration on Bonnie's face, and her equal determination not to let it get to her. Kim decided to bait her a bit. "C'mon, Bonnie, is that all you've got? I thought kicking my butt was your dream."

"It used to be," admitted Bonnie, "But I told you, I've grown up. I'm not here for some petty revenge, I want to help people, and make the world safer, and this is a good way to do it."

This unexpected statement startled Kim, and she dropped her guard for just a moment. Bonnie saw it and threw a snap kick that Kim felt graze her cheek.

Bonnie smirked. "And I want to prove I'm good enough."

"Good enough? That sounds like you're still competing with me," said Kim.

"Not really, but old habits die hard," answered Bonnie.

Kim stood up and bowed. Bonnie did the same. The match was over. "That's what I wanted to hear," said Kim, "You have grown up. Tara?"

Bonnie stepped off the mat, and Tara stepped on. She bowed and took a stance, and Kim did the same.

Kim soon found out that, in keeping with her gentle nature, Tara would defend herself with strength, speed, grace, and poise, but was very reluctant to retaliate. Kim found no holes in her defense, but at Kim's level of skill her attacks were hesitant and easily blocked.

They separated for a moment, and Kim said, "Tara, you've got to get over this fear of hurting someone. The person you're fighting won't have that inhibition."

"I know," said Tara, unhappily.

"She's been working on doing better about that," said Bonnie, "It's always been a problem for her."

"Bonnie, come join us, I have an idea," said Kim.

Bonnie stepped onto the mat, and looked at Kim expectantly.

"Both of you attack me," said Kim, taking a stance.

Tara punched at Kim, who grabbed her arm and threw her over her shoulder.

Bonnie feinted with a jab, then tried an open-handed strike to Kim's midsection. Kim blocked it, and swept Bonnie's feet from under her. As Bonnie landed on the mat, Kim took one step back, and drove her foot hard at Bonnie's face.

If it had connected, Bonnie would have been out for the count with a broken nose. But suddenly Tara was between them. She held up her arms in front of her, and took the blow, the force pushing her back. She leaned forward and threw a very hard and very fast fist at Kim that penetrated her defenses and struck her in the sternum. The hit knocked her backwards, and Kim rolled away and back to her feet, holding a hand where she had been struck. That had hurt!

"Tara, you did it!" exclaimed Kim.

"Did I hurt you? I'm sorry. I was trying to protect Bonnie," said Tara, eyes downcast.

"It's okay, don't be sorry," said Kim. "You did protect her, and beat the attacker.  
Most people would have trouble recovering from that hit."

Tara blushed. "Sorry," she murmured.

"I can see where your strength lies; defense," said Kim, offering Bonnie a hand up.

It was accepted, and as she rose to her feet, Bonnie said, "Yeah, we pair upin class, and I handle offense, and her defense. Only Sensei Michaels has beaten us."

"Bonnie, I see you are a Crane, and Tara, you're a Swan," said Kim.

Both girls nodded. "Exactly right, Kim," said Tara.

Kim grinned. "Go get cleaned up, and we'll eat lunch. Then I'll give you the rest of the tour."

Back in the dining room, they found that Ron had prepared an incredible dinner for everybody, beginning with a tossed salad and buttered Italian bread, and followed with a steak cooked to perfection with a huge baked potato. Tea was the drink of choice.

Afterwards Kim showed them the rest of Team Possible Headquarters. The training room, the offices, the armory, the bunk room, the situation room, everything. They were introduced to Francis and Adrena.

Finally they went back to the conference room, and sat down.

"Well, what do you think?" asked Kim.

"I'm impressed, K. You've done really well here," said Bonnie.

"I love this," said Tara, "It's incredible! And lunch! Wow! Do you eat like that every day?"

Kim laughed. "No, but this was a special occasion. Tara, I'm glad you like it here, because you're accepted! Welcome to Team Possible!"

Tara squealed and hugged Bonnie, then jumped up and hugged Kim. "Thank you! I will do my very best for you!"

"I know you will," answered Kim.

"What about Bonnie?" asked Tara, looking a little worried.

Kim just couldn't resist getting in a dig at Bonnie. She turned to her and rolled her eyes. "Fine. You make the squad. Barely."

Bonnie's face grew stony. "Don't do me any favors," she growled, then stood up and made ready to leave.

Kim stood and grabbed her by the arm. "Bonnie, I was teasing. That's exactly what you said to me when I tried out for the cheer squad in middle school."

Bonnie stopped and turned red, then gave a tentative smile. "I deserved that."

Kim turned her around. "I am very proud to have you on the team, Bonnie, and I mean that."

"Thanks, Kim," said Bonnie, and hugged the redhead. "I'm proud to be accepted."

And a new era in the relationship of Kim Possible and Bonnie Rockwaller had begun.


	4. Unpleasant Conversation

Chapter 4 Unpleasant Conversation 

Kim was upset. Ron was leaving for Yamanouchi the next day, and would be gone for six months.  
He had delayed going for as long as he could, but Yori was now insisting he come as soon as possible. But she refused to explain the urgency. Kim was secure in her relationship with Ron, and was no longer 'jelling' over Yori. She was going to miss him a lot, but understood the necessity of the training.

Ron had finally embraced the Mystical Monkey Power, and knew his destiny to be the Ultimate Monkey Master. But Lord Monty Fiske was still out there, and still wanted the power for himself. Their final encounter was yet to happen, and Ron wanted to be ready when it did.

She sighed. It couldn't be helped, but when he returned, Team Possible would be better than ever.

At least now she had backup. Tara and Bonnie had proven their fighting capabilities, and were learning to use the standard Team Possible equipment. Tara had made some suggestions about rearranging the items in the utility belt that improved their ease of use and accessability. It was nearly time for them to go into the field.

Tara was content to let Bonnie lead in training sessions, so Bonnie was made team leader.  
Ron had given Tara training on being a distraction when needed, and she had taken to it,  
as it meant she could generally avoid fighting. But she was fierce as a tiger when it came to defending Bonnie.

There was a knock on the door, and it opened to reveal the last person Kim expected to see;  
Dr. Betty Director of Global Justice.

Kim and Ron had strengthened ties with the secret organization, and would work with them as needed. In addition, Wade now had access to satellites and other resources without having to resort to hacking.

"Dr. Director! Come in!" said Kim, "Welcome to Team Possible Headquarters!"

"Thanks, Kim," replied the older woman, clad in her standard GJ uniform, and sat down. "I see you've built a facility to be proud of."

Kim grinned. "Thanks! Want the Grand Tour?"

"Maybe later. We need to talk about some things," said Dr. Director.

"Okay, go ahead. What can I do for you?" asked Kim.

"First, I wanted to let you know the access tube to GJ Headquarters is finally finished.  
I used it to get here," she said, "At the moment, only you and Ron can use it. I'll show you later."

Kim nodded.

"Now for a bit of unpleasantness. Could you get Wade on the line, please?" she asked.

Kim tapped keys on her computer, and Wade appeared on the monitor.

"Hi, Kim, Hello, Dr. Director," he said.

"Wade, this is very serious. I have evidence that, in the past, you've hacked our computers, and taken control of our satellites. Kim, it's usually been done at your orders, and I don't appreciate it," said Dr. Director.

"I always made sure whatever I borrowed wasn't in use at the time," said Wade, defensively.

"Doesn't matter. Why didn't you just ask first? I know what your activities are, and would have said yes," was the reply.

"Sorry," said Wade, flushing.

"Look, it's in the past, and I'm willing to let it go since you now have standing permission to access GJ equipment. But some of my deputies aren't. They want both of you brought up on charges of hacking and obstructing GJ operations," she said.

Kim was red faced as well. Dr. Director had them dead to rights. "It won't happen again," said Kim.

"It had better not. I will handle my deputies about past ...indiscretions, but next time I won't. And a conviction on each charge carries a ten-year sentence. Are we clear on this?" she said forcefully.

"Yes, ma'am," they answered, feeling like small children caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"A trial would only add more fuel to the rumor that Team Possible is a shady operation"  
she added.

"Wait a minute. Shady operation?" asked Kim.

Betty sighed. "Some of the other law-enforcement agencies are concerned about the source of the money you use."

Kim raised an eyebrow. "If it's any of their business, Shego left it to us."

"I know. I had it checked out, and it's all clean. What they are worrying about is that an international criminal is responsible for all this, and how that will reflect on them," she added.

"One, she's dead, and two, she's not wanted any more," said Kim.

"True, but she still has an evil reputation," was the reply. "It's the legacy she left."

Kim shook her head, and swept an arm around. "This is part of her legacy too. And one day her true legacy will be revealed."

Dr. Director outwardly showed no sign of it, but inside she wondered what on earth that statement could mean.

"We've never made a secret of where the money comes from, but we've never flaunted it either," continued Kim.

"That's right, and I think you've handled it correctly. But other agencies view you and Team Possible with suspicion now. It doesn't help that you have two felons on your payroll," said Dr. Director.

Kim shrugged. "That's their problem. If they don't want to work with us, fine. But if anyone brings it up again, refer them to me, and I'll set the record straight."

"Yes, I'm sure you would," said Dr. Director with a small smile. She looked at them. "I realize I've just put a strain on our relationship, so I'll pass on the grand tour for now. Kim, let me show you how to work the tubeway, and I'll go."

Wade signed off with a somber expression, and Kim stood to follow Dr. Director.

Outside Kim's office they ran into Bonnie and Tara, who were heading for the kitchen for lunch. Ron was cooking something that smelled wonderful.

"Bonnie Rockwaller, Tara Matthews, I want you to meet Dr. Director, head of Global Justice," said Kim.

"Wow," said Bonnie, shaking her hand, "Kim's told us about you, but I never expected to actually meet you."

"It's very nice to meet you both. You've joined a good team," said Dr. Director.

"We know. Kim's the best!" said Tara, shaking her hand in turn.

Kim and Dr. Director exchanged a look the other two missed.

"How did it go this morning?" asked Kim.

"Great! I barely jumped at all, this time," said Bonnie.

They had just returned from the Middleton Police Department's target range, where they were taking a firearms course. Team Possible used strictly non-lethal methods to achieve their goals, but that was no reason to be ignorant of such weapons and how to use them.

Surprisingly, it was Tara who took to the training. She seemed to have a natural talent for all aspects of weapons use, far outstripping Bonnie, who was still uncomfortable even holding a gun.

A minute later the new agents headed on for the kitchen, and Kim followed Dr. Director.  
She led the way to a storage room near the back of the building. In the far corner a space had been cleared.

"There it is. You and Ron are the only ones cleared for it. All you have to do is stand on that spot for ten seconds, and you'll be identified and taken," said Dr. Director.

Kim nodded. "I understand. I'll show Ron later."

"One last thing. I wanted to offer you and your operatives access to GJ training and training facilities," said Dr. Director.

"We have our own style of training and way of doing things," said Kim.

"Yes, I know. It's an open offer," was the reply.

"Thank you," said Kim, "I'll keep it in mind."

Dr. Director turned to her. "Kim, I was harsh, but I don't apoligize. It was easier to overlook such things when you were freelancing and didn't have the resources, but now that you're officially 'in the game', I wanted to impress you both with the seriousness of what you're doing, and how your actions affect others."

"Don't worry. The message was received loud and clear," said Kim, "We're guilty, and very sorry. It won't happen again."

"Your apology and promise are accepted. But don't let this stop you if you need GJ help in the future," said Dr. Director.

"I won't," said Kim. They shook hands, and the head of Global Justice stood on the pad and was gone.

Kim returned to her office deep in thought.

As she rode the tube back to headquarters, Dr. Director sighed. She didn't like having to lie to Wade and Kim, but it was for the best.

In point of fact, nobody at GJ except herself and a few techs who wouldn't talk had any clue they had ever been hacked. Most thought it impossible. To keep it that way, she had purged the records of the hacking herself.

Team Possible was well respected throughout the world, but hiring Lurman and Rush had raised some eyebrows. Dr. Director understood why they had done so, and used her influence to quell the suspicions.

She liked Kim and Ron, and respected their record and abilities. She was determined to see Team Possible do well, and do well within the rules.


	5. First Mission

Chapter 5 First Mission 

Kim finished her email to Ron, checked it over one last time, and clicked on 'send'. She wrote Ron every day, but got a reply only once or twice a week. He indicated the training was hard and grueling, but assured her it would be worth it when he got home. She always encouraged him to stick with it.

It had been a long two months. Not that Team Possible had been bored; she, Tara and Bonnie had been around the world several times, helping with disasters like a tsunami in the Phillipines, mudslides in California, a volcano in Greece, and wildfires in Arizona. For some reason, the usual take-over-the-world freaks had been very quiet.

Bonnie and Tara had come through with flying colors. Tara's natural openness, gentleness,  
and friendliness was a big help in calming both children and adult fears while they were being rescued. Bonnie would do what was needed; taking command when necessary, or helping on a line of sandbaggers. Several times her sharp mind had anticipated problems and found ways to avoid them. Surprisingly, to Kim, Bonnie had shown a lot of compassion for the people they had helped. She really had changed.

Kim stood up and headed for the dojo. It was time for the daily self-defense training she had been giving Monique and Adrena. She had finally excused Francis; he was utterly hopeless.

She found Monique waiting for her, as Bonnie and Tara did some warm-up exercises on the other side of the room. She changed into her gi, then joined Monique.

"Where's Adrena?" she asked.

"Haven't seen her this morning," answered Monique.

"Must be running late. We'll go without her," said Kim.

An hour later, still no Adrena. In the showers, Kim said, "Mon, when you get back to your office, give her a call. This isn't like her."

"I'll do it, Kim," was the reply.

Monique was on the intercom when Kim got back to her office. "She hasn't left a message,  
and all I got was voice mail. I did leave her a message to call."

"Thanks, Mon," said Kim. She thought for a minute, then came to a decision.

She went to Adrena's office and looked around, but everything seemed okay. She might be overreacting, but she was starting to get a bad feeling.

Sitting at the desk, she pulled up the appointment book on the computer. There was a note to finish the tsunami relief article, but nothing else.

Back in her office, she started to call Wade, but refrained. There was probably nothing wrong. All she had to do was wait.

Wade had finished making battle suits for Bonnie and Tara. Ron had gotten his last year,  
and had taken it with him to Yamanouchi. The girls were anxious to try them out. They were white with color highlights in the same pattern as Kim's. Ron had chosen yellow for his color, while Bonnie chose a blue-green that matched her eyes, and Tara pink.

Kim donned hers, and Monique and Francis came to watch the tryouts.

They went to the training room, which had obsticles, weapons, and other things they would meet in the field. Wade was working on a holographic system, but had run into some problems. It would still be some time before it was on line.

Over the next several hours, the new agents learned how to use the built-in grappler, force field, jai-alai glove, and other features. A new innovation had been added; super speed boots. Wade had felt it safe to increase the time limit to twenty minutes a day. The self-repair feature had also been improved.

It was a lot of fun for all involved, and they were reluctant to stop. Wade got a lot of praise for them.

At the end of the day, Adrena still hadn't called. The feeling something was wrong had been growing on Kim all day, and she trusted her instincts.

As it grew dark, they left the building. Francis had already left for the night, but Kim, Monique, Bonnie and Tara had decided to try a new Italian restaurant.

Kim stood at the door with the key in the lock, thinking. The other girls chatted, waiting for her. She made a decision and turned to them. "I think we'd better look for Adrena. I've had a bad feeling about it all day."

Bonnie made an annoyed noise. "I was looking forward to an Italian dinner," she said.

"Me too, but this is what we do, Bonnie. Mon, can you stay too?" asked Kim.

"Sure. Say, I'll run to Fazoli's. It may be take out, but it's still Italian," she said.

The others agreed with this idea, putting in their orders, and giving her money. As Monique left for her car, the others went back inside.

In her office, Kim finally called Wade. "It may be nothing at all, but could you locate Adrena? We haven't heard from her all day."

Wade tapped keys and frowned. "She isn't in the tri-city area. Let me expand the search..."

Kim nodded. "Thanks. Call me on the Kimmunicator when you need to."

Wade nodded and disappeared. She stood up and went to the dining room off the kitchen,  
where she found Monique had returned, and the others were eating. She got her order,  
and joined them.

"Wade can't find her," she said, "I'm waiting to hear back from him."

Just as they finished eating, Wade called, his face showing concern. "I can't find her anywhere. Something must have happened."

"Thanks. Let's go, girls, mission mode. We'll go to her apartment," said Kim.

They went to the girl's locker room and changed into mission clothes. Bonnie had complained long and loud about having to wear something as outdated as "Kim Style". Kim had explained,  
several times, that "Kim Style" was never meant to be a fashion trend, but a unique look for Team Possible.

Both new agents refused to wear the crop top version of the black shirt that left their midriffs bare; full length only. Bonnie chose to wear brown cargo pants that matched her hair color, and Tara a light blue that matched her eyes.

Twenty minutes later they approached Apartment 8-C. When they got there, it was immediately obvious something was wrong. The door was open slightly, and the jamb was damaged.

"That makes it official," said Kim in a low voice, "Bonnie, as of now you're in charge of this mission."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "You mean that?"

Kim nodded. "You've earned it."

"And you won't take back command the first time I do something that isn't the way you would do it?" Bonnie asked, cocking her hip and narrowing her eyes.

"I'll try to restrain myself," said Kim, dryly. "I'll follow your orders, and won't offer advice unless you ask for it."

Bonnie and Tara high fived. "ALL RIGHT! Team Rockwaller is on the case!" Bonnie exclaimed.

Kim rolled her eyes but held her peace. If Bonnie could put up with "Kim Style", she could put up with "Team Rockwaller". "What now, chief?" she asked, to bring attention back to why they were here.

Bonnie pulled out the BonnieCom (she hated 'Bonnunicator') and called Wade. "I'm in charge of this mission now. Adrena's apartment has been broken into. Would you mind doing a scan?"

"You got it, Bonnie," said Wade and smiled, "Congratulations!"

"Thanks. Then would you contact Officer Hobble and ask him to send some men over?" she added.

Officer Hobble had become the official liason between Team Possible and the Middleton police.

"Sure, just a minute," said Wade, "Point the sensors, please."

Bonnie did so, and a yellowish beam of light left the BonnieCom and hit the door.

"Well, there's nobody in there," he said after a minute. "Judging by the faintness of the infrared traces, nobody has been in there for at least a day. There are signs of more than one person, too."

"That's good for now," said Bonnie, "Thanks."

"We'll wait for the police," she said, putting away the BonnieCom.


	6. Investigation

Chapter 6 Investigation 

They only had to wait a few minutes before two uniformed officers arrived, one of them Officer Hobble himself.

"Kim Possible!" he said, "What is..."

Kim held up her hand. "Bonnie is in charge, sir."

"Oh. Um... what's going on, Miss Rockwaller?" he asked, puzzled at this unexpected developement.

"Adrena-Lynn Rush lives here, and may have been kidnapped. I decided it would be best to wait for you. But Adrena works for us, so this is personal," answered Bonnie. "A scan shows nobody inside."

"I see. Oh, this is Tom Wilson," he said, introducing the other officer.

"Nice to meet you all, especially you, Miss Possible," he said, shaking hands.

Bonnie's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing.

Hobble stepped to the door, and loosened the strap on his weapon. He pushed the door open, and stepped inside. Tara found the light switch and turned it on.

At first glance, the living room was untouched. The two police officers moved toward the other rooms while Team Rockwaller pulled out their multispectral sunglasses.

"There's a stain here," said Bonnie, and knelt by it for a better look. She pulled out the BonnieCom. "Wade, are you seeing this?"

"Yeah... hold on a minute..." said Wade, and they heard keys tapping. "It's an industrial lubricant, in the shape of a partial footprint."

"I've found something," said Tara, and Kim and Bonnie turned to her, taking off the sunglasses.

She pointed. "This side table has been shifted. The clock fell off and unplugged at. 4:14."

"Sounds about right for the faintness of the infrared traces," said Wade, "Good catch, Tara, looks like we have a time."

Officer Hobble came back into the living room. "There are signs of a struggle in the bedroom," he said.

"Kim, you take a look," said Bonnie. She smiled to herself. Giving Kim orders still felt pretty good.

Kim nodded and followed Hobble back to the bedroom.

Wilson came back in. "Nothing seems to be disturbed in the kitchen or bathroom or the other bedroom," he reported.

Bonnie nodded. "Thanks."

A few minutes later, Kim and Hobble came back in. "It looks like two, maybe three people were in there. Her purse and money are undisturbed; looks like they came just for her" said Kim.

"Which points to someone she knows..." said Bonnie.

"I'm on it," said Wade, and signed off.

"Kim, what do you suggest we do?" asked Bonnie.

"Let's go outside, and see if we can find any more clues," answered Kim.

Donning the sunglasses again, they made their way down the corridor. Kim and Wilson took the elevator, while Bonnie and Tara took the stairs. They met outside.

"We didn't find anything," said Bonnie.

"Us either," said Kim.

Wade called on the BonnieCom. "I checked the security camera records, and might have found something," he said. His image disappeared, and was replaced with a picture of the parking lot. The time stamp in the corner read 4:22 AM. A dark car waited by the curb. Suddenly two large men, accompanied by a smaller man came into view. The two large men were almost carrying someone between them. The back door opened, one of the large men got in first, and the other pushed the person between them into the car, getting in after them.

"I recognize that hair style," said Bonnie, "That was Adrena."

Using the sunglasses, they looked around where the car had been. Tara spotted a much smaller stain of the same lubricant.

Officer Hobble walked up. "The crime scene unit will be here in a few minutes," he said.

"Good," said Bonnie. She showed him the security tape, then the stain. "We're going back to headquarters."

"Would you mind staying, Miss Rockwaller? I would like your help with the evidence," said Hobble.

She glanced at Kim and Tara. "Fine," said Bonnie.

"We'll go on back," said Kim.

Bonnie nodded, then left with Hobble and Wilson. "Please, call me Bonnie," she said to him.

Back in her office, Kim found on her printer a report containing all the evidence collected so far, along with vidcaps from the tape and a tentative timeline. Kim didn't even need to ask; she knew a copy had been sent to Middleton PD.

Kim sat and rocked, thinking. She decided not to tell Ron about this until it was over. He would cut short his training and take the first flight home to help. As much as she wanted him home, she had to look at the bigger picture.

Looking at her hands, she was surprised to see she had taken the Crystal from its box, and was using it like a worry stone. She was rolling it between her hands, and rubbing her thumb over it. It might have been her imagination, but she did seem to be drawing comfort from it.

Bonnie came in about ten o'clock, to report nothing new. They decided to call it a night;  
they would be notified if anything happened.

For two days they followed every lead they could, to no avail. They kept in close contact with the Middleton PD, but no ransom demands were received, and every lead ended up a dead end.

On the afternoon of the third day, Wade called. "I might have something," he said, "Meet me in the conference room."

Shortly after Kim, Bonnie, and Tara sat down, he appeared on the TV. "Okay, here we go."

The picture changed to an overhead view of large buildings. "This is a current satellite view of the Middleton Warehouse District in the infrared," came Wade's voice, "Our building is here." A red "X" appeared over one of them. "Now, notice over here." Another building, just a block away, was circled.

Four red dots were within it. Three were together, one by itself. "Here is the time lapse of the last several days," said Wade. The four dots were in the building, then they started blinking on and off. The one dot was suddenly by itself, and the other three moving around, disappearing and reappearing. The lone dot stayed steady.

"That looks a lot like a clue to me," said Bonnie, "Let's check it out."

Five minutes later found Team Rockwaller in front of the other building. According to the sign out front, it was for sale and vacant. Wade confirmed that nobody should be in there.

All three of them peeked in a window, and saw three men sitting at a desk, playing cards.  
The remains of lunch scattered around. Two of the men were very large; the common street muscle available anywhere, even Middleton. The smaller man took a drink of soda, and frowned at his cards.

Kim narrowed her eyes. The smaller man looked vaguely familiar. She looked at her companions.  
Bonnie was still assessing the situation, while Tara sat against the wall and looked absolutely furious.

"Tara?" Kim whispered.

"Those scumbags kidnapped Adrena," Tara hissed. "Who knows what else they've done to her.  
They are so going to pay."

Bonnie and Kim stared at her with wide eyes. That statement was totally at odds with the gentle blue-eyed blonde's personality.

"Let's be sure they did it, first," said Bonnie, "You take the big one on the left; Kim the one on the right. But only if you have to."

Tara took a deep breath, and visibly calmed down. She nodded.

They snuck towards the door, Tara in the lead.

"What's wrong with her?" Kim whispered to Bonnie, "I've never seen her like that before."

"Not sure. I think she's being protective," answered Bonnie.

Kim nodded. Made sense.

Bonnie turned the doorknob slowly, but found it locked. She kicked it hard, slamming it open. She barged in, full of rightious fury. The three men stood up, facing this new problem.

Bonnie pointed at the smaller man. "Where is Adrena-Lynn Rush?" she demanded.

"She's..." said the big guy on the left.

"Shaddap!" yelled the smaller man.

That was all the admission Tara needed. Before Kim and Bonnie's astonished eyes, both of the street muscle were suddenly on the floor, unconsious.

The smaller man was backing away from her, slowly, as Tara advanced.

"Tara!" shouted Bonnie.

"Where is she?" Tara growled, paying Bonnie no attention.

The man actually had the nerve to sneer at her. "You'll never find her," he answered.

The man was saved from the beating of his life when Bonnie grabbed Tara just in time.

"Kim, go see if you can find her. We'll wait for the police," said Bonnie.

Kim nodded, then went out onto the warehouse's main floor. Except for trash and some obviously empty crates, there was nothing here. The ceiling was a good hundred feet above her. This warehouse must have kept some serious freight at one time. She walked around, but found nothing suspicious.

She pulled out the Kimmunicator. "Wade, can you give me a current infrared scan of this building?"

"Sure. Hang on..." was the answer, along with the click of keys. He was replaced by the requested view. There were five dots together, and two separate. The latter were fairly close to each other.

Kim walked until the dots overlapped. She looked around for any newly-poured concrete,  
or other way of holding a person, but found nothing. That left only one place... She looked up, and could barely see in the shadows the bottom of a crane platform.

She looked around, and in a corner found controls for the platform. But when she flipped the power switch, the panel shorted out. "Have to do it the hard way, then," she thought.

She studied the platform and ceiling carefully. There was nowhere for the grappler to grab on the platform itself from this angle, so something nearby would have to do.

She fired at a support beam, where the claw grabbed and held. She hit the 'retract' button,  
and was pulled up. She went above the level of the platform, and stopped the ascent.  
There was a set of crane controls on one end, and a small shed on the other.

Judging the distance, she swung back and forth to build up momentum, then let go of the hair dryer, arcing gracefully toward the platform. She landed just outside the side rails around the platform. She grabbed the top rail, and was surprised when her hands slipped right off. She grabbed for the next one down, and it too was coated in something slippery. She grabbed for the third and last rail, and nearly got a grip. But the oil on her gloves prevented it. She slipped off the rail.

Just as she started to fall, a hand reached down and grabbed her left wrist. She looked up at her saviour, and gasped at the smiling face. The only thing between Kim Possible and a messy death on the concrete a hundred feet below was Adrena-Lynn Rush.


	7. Rescue

Chapter 7 Rescue 

"I told you I wouldn't let you down," said Adrena, "But I didn't expect to mean it literally."

Adrena's other hand joined the first around Kim's wrist, and started to pull her up. It took some exploring, but Kim finally found a spot not covered in grease, got a grip, and pulled herself up with Adrena's help.

The two women looked at each other, then embraced tightly. "Are you okay?" they asked at the same time.

"JINX! You owe me a soda!" said Kim.

Adrena laughed. "Well, if that's all, I'm getting off cheap. But to answer your question, I'm starving! I haven't eaten in three days!"

"He didn't feed you?" asked Kim.

"No. He couldn't bring himself to just kill me, so he locked me in that shed to die of hunger and thirst, and sent the platform up here," Adrena answered.

At Kim's shocked look, she added, "I found a sealed, full water cooler bottle behind some junk. It was stale but drinkable, so I've had plenty of water, but I want food!"

"How did you get out of the shed?" Kim asked.

"I found an old hacksaw blade between the floorboards, and sawed through the clasp," she answered, "It took me three days, and my hand is sore, but it's not like I had anything else to do. I saw you falling just as I got out."

The Kimmunicator went off, and Kim found Bonnie's face on the screen. "The police are here," she said, "How's the search going?"

"I found her, and she's okay. We'll be down in a few minutes," answered Kim. She heard Tara squeal in the background.

The controls on the platform were operating, so Kim manoevered over and recovered her grappling gun, then lowered the platform.

On the way down, Kim looked at Adrena. "You know, if you still wanted revenge on me, you could have..."

The words were stopped when Adrena's finger touched Kim's lips. "That was never an option. When I got out of prison, you looked me up, forgave me, gave me a second chance and a job in my field, which nobody else would do. You've treated me like a friend, instead of a felon or employee. And now you've rescued me from a revenge plot. You've earned my loyalty."

Kim looked embarrassed. "No big."

"It is to me," said Adrena.

The platform came to rest on the floor, where they found Bonnie, Tara, a couple of policemen, and an EMT waiting. Adrena was quickly swept up in the waiting arms of Bonnie and Tara, who hugged her and made sure she was all right.

Adrena was surprised at her reception. She had no idea the girls felt that way about her.

Tara noticed she was barefoot, and wearing only a large T-shirt that she had probably gone to bed in three days earlier. It was dirty and grease-stained now. "Adrena, did they...?" asked Tara, worried.

"No, they never touched me that way. Can we hold questions till later? I'm starving!"

"I need to get a statement from you," said one of the policemen.

"We'll bring her in to the station to do that later," said Kim. "Right now she needs to get to the hospital and be checked out."

The policeman nodded. "Okay. But Miss Possible, I need one from you, too."

"Adrena, go with the ambulance. We'll meet you at the hospital later," said Kim.

The EMT led Adrena away, and Kim gave her statement. Then Bonnie showed her where one of the kidnappers had stepped in a puddle of industrial lubricant, and left his shoe print. The size and shape matched the one in Adrena's apartment, as did the substance.

When she had a moment alone, Kim called Wade.

"Any idea why you couldn't find her?" she asked.

"She wasn't wearing anything I had chipped," he answered.

"I think you can stop your general survelence of Adrena. She's proven we can trust her," said Kim.

"Way ahead of you," said Wade, grinning. "It stopped the moment she saved you from falling."

Kim grinned. "You rock harder than ever, Wade."

Twenty minutes later, Team Rockwaller was walking back the one block from the warehouse to Team Possible Headquarters.

"Tara, when you took out those goons, what was that about? I've never seen you so angry,  
or so agressive," said Bonnie.

"It was impressive, though," added Kim.

Tara hung her head, ashamed. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. When I saw those guys, I just KNEW they were the ones. I had to do something, or explode."

"Note to self: never threaten anybody Tara cares about," said Kim.

She and Bonnie laughed, while Tara gave a small smile, and turned red.

Back at headquarters, they filled Monique and Francis in on developements, then changed from mission clothes to civilian. They all talked about it, and decided to go to the still-untried new Italian restaurant they had wanted to go to before, but tomorrow night, so Adrena could be the guest of honor.

At Kim's insistence, everyone went home, instead of to the hospital. Kim didn't want to overwhelm Adrena. She drove to the hospital to find Adrena waiting for her. They had checked her out and pronounced her fit, but still gave her a multivitimin shot, just in case. She had eaten some fruit, so the edge was taken off her appetite.

Kim drove her back to her apartment. Adrena was understandably nervous about going in, but Kim stayed with her, and showed her it was all right. Kim offered to let her stay at her house until she felt better about it, and Adrena quickly accepted. Adrena took a shower and got dressed, then packed a couple of suitcases.

They went to the police station, and Adrena gave her statement, and filed the necessary papers to press charges against the men.

As they left, Kim said, "Who were those guys, anyway? You never did say."

"That was Joe, my cameraman from when I had my extreme stunt show," said Adrena.

Kim pursed her lips. "I THOUGHT he looked familiar."

Adrena nodded. "He was arrested too, and sent to prison as an accessory. He blames me for ruining his career, and he's right. I bullied him into helping."

"So in revenge, he decides to kill you for it. Seems a bit... extreme," said Kim.

Adrena got a sour look. "Ouch. Bad pun. But you're right, it was. I'd never suspect him of being that way. He was always so... mousy... I guess is the word."

"You just never know..." said Kim, as they arrived at her home.

Kim still lived with her parents, and they quickly welcomed Adrena, and confirmed the offer to stay as long as she needed to. Adrena was still hungry, and was not adverse to a big helping of Mrs. Possible's brain loaf.

The next day, Adrena declined the offer to rest a few days, saying it would be better if she just got back to work. That evening, they all went to the Italian restaurant, and had a great meal.

Adrena stayed with the Possibles for a week, then decided to go back to her apartment. The door had been repaired, and with her consent Wade added surveilence to the doors and windows. Francis and Monique also welcomed the extra security at their homes.

Things returned to as normal as they got for Team Possible, but it was not to last. It never did...


	8. Homecoming

Chapter 8 Homecoming 

Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable, Kim, and Monique sat in the lobby of the Middleton International Airport waiting for Ron's flight from Japan.

Bonnie and Tara would have been there, but instead they had gone on a mission to England, helping stop a planned terrorist attack. Adrena and Francis were holding down the fort at Headquarters.

The plane landed on time, and soon the passengers who were stopping in Middleton were disembarking. In the middle of them was Ron. Kim noticed immediately there was something different about him. He walked with a spring in his step, and seemed much more confident and less clumsy. He had also filled out a bit; his normal clothes didn't hang off him the way they used to.

As soon as he passed through security and customs he was mobbed by his parents, friend,  
and fiance. He still wore that same goofy grin he always had, and Kim was glad that hadn't changed.

Rufus popped out of his pocket, and waved to everyone.

Kim reached Ron first, enveloping him in a bear hug. Right away she noticed that her first impression was right-- there was muscle under the shirt now. They kissed; a deep, satisfying kiss that left both of them breathless.

"Welcome home, Ron. I've missed you," she said.

"Thanks, KP. You don't know how much I've missed you," he answered, and kissed her again.

She finally let him go, and the others, who had waited patiently, took over.

Kim suddenly noticed there was a small-statured, black-haired young Asian woman standing at a polite distance nearby, watching the greetings with a small smile on her face.

Kim turned to her. "Yori!" she exclaimed, "I wasn't expecting you!"

Yori bowed. "Possible-san, it is good to see you again," she said, "And you as well,  
Robinson-san."

"Hey, girl, it's been a while," said Monique.

"She's here for a reason, KP; we'll tell you all about it later," said Ron around his mother's hug.

"Okay," said Kim.

Ron introduced Yori to his parents. He had contacted them a week earlier, and they had agreed to let her stay with them for the time being.

Seeing the look on Kim's face, Monique whispered to her, "You're not still jelling, are you?"

"Maybe just a little. Sorry, but I can't help it," she answered. "I know she needs somewhere to live."

"Do not be concerned on my account, Possible-san," said Yori, "A few years ago I would have given you a.. how do you say?... a run for your coins?... but now Ron-kun and I are just good friends and fellow warriors who have seen combat together."

"Once I have settled in and learned about Middleton, I will seek a place of my own," she added.

Kim looked relieved and ashamed at the same time. "I'm sorry, Yori, I thought I was more mature than that."

"I see the green-eyed monkey no longer has you in it's grip," said Yori, dismissing the whole subject.

Going to the luggage carrosell, the two travellers found their luggage. Ron had, as usual, gone overboard and taken seven or eight suitcases with him. But all he picked up was a single blue bag.

"What happened to all the stuff you took?" asked Kim.

Yori giggled, picking up a small black bag.

"Ah... a little accident. It's all at the bottom of Mount Yamanouchi," he answered, red-faced.

"Glad you didn't take the good luggage, then," said Mr. Stoppable, laughing with the rest.

They left the airport, Ron riding with Kim and Monique, Yori with Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable.  
Bueno Nacho was the first stop.

"The Tokyo Bueno Nacho was okay, but there's no place like home's!" said Ron, he and Rufus digging into a large order with gusto.

He told them of his time in Japan; the training, the beauty of the mountains, the peace and quiet, the friends he made, and in-the-field training with Yori on missions in Tokyo.

Yori spoke up, nibbling a burrito. "He has progressed quite rapidly," she said, "Far surpassing Sensei's wildest dreams."

Ron looked embarrassed. "Kim was my inspiration. I didn't want to stay away from her any longer than I had to. I figured I'd better get real good real fast."

Everyone laughed.

"It seems to have worked," said Monique.

After the meal, both Ron and Yori yawned. "We're still on Japan time, and feel the need to be asleep," said Ron.

Kim nodded. "I understand that. Go on and get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow."

Shortly thereafter, Kim and Monique were going back to headquarters. They rode in silence until Monique spoke up.

"Girl, he's looking really good. That trip made a lot of difference in that boy," she said.

Kim eyed her. "Is the green-eyed monkey going to grab me again?"

Monique looked at her slyly. "You never know, girlfriend. It just might happen. Somebody comes along who's more beautiful, more talented, and with better taste in clothes, and zip, he's gone!"

"Hey!" said Kim, and they both laughed.

At headquarters they told Adrena and Francis of Ron's arrival, and Yori's unexpected appearence.

"Ron said she was here for a purpose, but didn't say what," said Kim.

"Hm. Should I put out a press release on Ron's return?" asked Adrena.

"No, not yet. Let's find out what's going on first. I don't think Yori should be mentioned anyway. She's a ninja, and that she's here should be kept secret," Kim answered.

Adrena nodded her agreement.

"Well, if she's going to join us, I'd better order some more equipment," said Francis.

"Good idea," said Kim, "Assign her a locker, and get whatever she needs."

"I'll take care of it," he promised.

The next day Ron and Yori arrived at Headquarters to be greeted by everyone. Bonnie and Tara had come home the night before, having successfully stopped the terrorists.

Introduced to the latter two, Yori seemed to be familiar with some of their adventures already, and told them she looked forward to working with them.

They invited her to participate in exercises with them, and she readily agreed.

"Yori, this is Francis Lurman, our accountant and building manager," said Kim.

Yori bowed. "Lurman-san."

"Hi, glad to meet you. Welcome aboard. Come see me when you get a chance; I've got you a locker assignment, and will get you whatever you need," he said.

"I will do so," said Yori.

"And this is our media expert, Adrena-Lynn Rush," said Kim.

Yori snorted with laughter, then turned red and slapped her hand over her mouth. She bowed deeply to Adrena. "I am sorry, Rush-san, please forgive me. My rude behaviour shames me."

Adrena laughed. "It's okay, Yori, don't worry about it. I know perfectly well what my name sounds like. My parents have a quirky sense of humor."

Yori's blush faded, and she tilted her head slightly. "What is 'quirky'?"

"Strange, unusual," answered Adrena.

"I see. Thank you," said Yori.

"Say, would you teach me some Japanese? I get inquiries about Team Possible from there, but translation programs leave a lot to be desired," said Adrena.

Yori bowed. "It would be my honor."

"Well, seeing as it's nearly eleven A.M., and I haven't been in the kitchen in half a year, I'm going to go whip up some lunch for everyone," said Ron.

Tara squealed, and Bonnie smiled, as did everyone else. They all loved Ron's cooking.

"And after that, we need to have a meeting in the conference room," he added, "And we can tell you what we know of the sitch."

Glances were exchanged between the others. Must be serious, they all thought.

Ron grumbled a bit about the condition of the kitchen, and what was available there. He and Monique went to the store and restocked things. Then he got to work and before long had everyone in range of the smell salivating.

It was a wonderful lunch.


	9. Conference

Chapter 9 Conference 

After lunch, Kim, Ron, Bonnie, Tara, and Yori filed into the conference room, and Wade appeared on the monitor.

"Sensei had a vision," said Ron without preamble. "It wasn't very clear, but there is a lot of danger connected to it. Danger to the entire world."

Rufus agreed vigorously.

Yori nodded. "There were colors connected to it-- black, green, and blue."

"Well, those colors are representative of two people we know," said Kim, "Shego and Dr.  
Drakken. But Shego's... dead, and Drakken's been in prison for the last three years."

"Ah... that's not quite right," said Wade, and everyone looked at him.

"I found out just this morning that Drakken was assisted in escaping by what was probably a CeCe robot wearing Shego's colors two and a half years ago," he said.

"Two and a half years ago? Why are you just finding out now?" asked Ron.

"I run a program that keeps tabs on any mention of the supervillians in the media. But apparently this was kept from the news, and the reports were filed in the wrong directory, one I never access. This was just corrected by someone at the prison," he said.

Kim nodded. "Strange that we haven't heard from him since then. He's usually too impatient to wait very long before trying another take-over-the-world scheme."

"I'm looking into it," said Wade, "But it will be some time before I get any answers."

"Thanks, Wade," said Kim.

"Who is this... Dr. Drakken and Shego?" asked Yori.

"I'll send you the files to read later, Yori," said Wade.

"I thank you, Load-san," was the reply.

Wade blushed and nodded.

"What else about this vision?" asked Bonnie.

Yori pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and unfolded it. "This is what Sensei wrote about it.

I saw the whole world, quite beautiful and peaceful. Then suddenly green and black things appeared, and spread out over the earth. Fires and screams of pain soon followed, and the sky turned black with smoke. I had the feeling of hopelessness and dispair, as something blue appeared and spread out over the world. I had the impression it was laughing.

I was crying in my sleep, for the world was ending. But then, hope reappeared. Five things,  
one red, one brown, two yellow, and one black stood against the green and black things. Very small against their infinite numbers.

And there the dream ended. I do not know the end of it. Only that there is hope."

There was silence as everyone mulled this over.

"Sensei feels certain Team Possible is connected to this," said Yori, "And also that it was vital I be here."

"May I see that, please?" asked Tara, reaching for the paper.

Yori passed it to her, and Tara sat reading it, brow wrinkling in concentration. Fortunately for Tara, it was written in both Japanese and English.

"Any ideas on what those colors besides green, black, and blue mean?" asked Bonnie.

Tara looked up. "I think it's us," she said.

"What do you mean?" asked Kim.

"Red, that's you, Kim. Brown is Bonnie, yellow is me and Ron, and black is Yori," she answered.

They all looked at each other.

"Hair color," said Bonnie, "Tara, I think you're right!"

"It does fit," said Wade, "Too well to be just coincidence. Let's go with that until we find out differently."

"I guess green and black would be the CeCe robots," said Ron, "And the laughing blue is Drakken."

"So it seems the answer to this vision is that Drakken is going to try and take over the world with an army of CeCe robots, and we are all that stand in the way," said Kim.

"Robots? How can we prepare for that?" asked Bonnie.

"I'll write a report of everything I remember about the CeCe I fought on that volcano," said Kim, "That will give at least an idea of what we're up against."

"Sensei is shipping the Lotus Blade and my fans and other weapons, as we couldn't bring them on the plane. They should arrive at Ron-kun's home soon," said Yori.

"Kim, I think we're going to need help on this one," said Wade. "Let's consult with Dr. Director."

"The vision didn't indicate any sort of other army," said Yori, "Sensei would have written it."

"We can always be wrong about the interpretation," said Bonnie. "Just because we have one that makes sense, it doesn't mean it's right."

"Global Justice uniforms are blue," Kim pointed out, "Maybe that was the blue in the vision,  
not Drakken."

"That is possible," admitted Yori, reluctantly.

"Wade, Dr. Director, if she's available, please and thank you!" said Kim.

The monitor screen split, and Dr. Director appeared.

"What can I do for Team Possible this afternoon?" she asked.

"Dr. Director, this is--" said Kim, indicating Yori.

"Yori!" said Dr. Director, "Didn't expect to find you there! How is Sensei?"

"He is well, and sends his greetings," was the reply. Yori stood and bowed.

"You know each other?" asked Ron. After working with her closely for six months, Ron thought he knew Yori fairly well. But apparently his friend still had some surprises.

Dr. Director smiled. "Yori was kind enough to handle some... problems for GJ."

"It was my honor to assist," Yori replied.

"How do your studies progress?" asked Dr. Director.

"I have graduated, and will be with Team Possible for the foreseeable future," she answered.

"Congratulations! The world will be safer, now!" Dr. Director answered.

Yori lowered her eyes modestly, and blushed.

"Well, this will make things easier to explain," said Kim, and launched into a retelling of the vision and possible meanings.

"I see..." said Dr. Director, "You were right to call me. GJ will definately want to be involved in this one."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Kim.

"Finding Drakken should be our top priority," said Dr. Director, thoughtfully.

"I'm working on it now," said Wade, "I'll let you know when I have something."

"If this is to be a joint operation, you'll need to coordinate your efforts with my intelligence people," said Dr. Director.

Wade looked at Kim, who nodded.

"All right," said Wade. "I'll get in touch with them."

"Let me inform them first. I'll drop you an email when I have."

"Fine. In the meantime, I'll keep looking," said Wade.

Kim looked around the table. "Anyone else need to say something?"

There was silence.

"Then this meeting's adjourned!" said Kim.


	10. Getting to Know You

Chapter 10 Getting to Know You 

"Thank you, Load-san, for access to the files," said Yori. She had just finished reading Drakken's file.

She was sitting at a computer in the "Ready Room", the base for the agents. There was also a TV, phone, radio, a bookcase, and comfortable chairs.

"You're welcome," he answered.

"Is there any news of Drakken-san?" asked Yori.

"Nothing so far, and believe me, I've been looking. The GJ people are doing their best as well," he answered.

"I am sure you will find him," said Yori.

"While I've got you here, I need to scan your specs," said Wade.

"My... specs? I do not wear glasses," said Yori.

"I mean your specifications. Your... measurements," he said, turning red.

Yori tilted her head. "Why do you need such information?"

"I'm making you a battle suit like everyone else's, and I need them so it will fit," was the answer.

"I see. How do we do this?" she asked.

"Just stand up in front of the webcam, and I'll take care of it," he said.

She did so, and suddenly found herself with a green laser grid over her body from head to foot.

"Turn around, please," he said, and she did.

The grid hit her again.

"That's it. Thanks," he said after a few seconds.

Yori sat down. "Thank you for your trouble."

"It's what I'm here for. What color do you want?" he asked.

"Color for what?" she answered.

A picture of the battle suit appeared on the monitor. "See the color stripes? What color do you want them to be? Kim has blue, Ron yellow, Bonnie aqua, and Tara pink."

"I prefer the suit to be solid black," she answered.

"Black? Why?" he asked.

"I am ninja. I use no other color in my work," she answered.

"Oh, of course. Should have realized... okay, no problem. I'll get to work on it," he said.

"I thank you, Load-san," said Yori, ducking her head.

"I'm sending the files on the rest of the villians," he said, and disappeared from the screen.

kpkpkp

The next morning found Yori doing some warm up stretches in the dojo when Bonnie and Tara came in.

"Would you like to join us for exercises this morning?" asked Tara.

"It would be my honor, Matthews-san," said Yori, bowing. "If we are to work together, we should train together as well."

"Please, call me Tara. You're a friend, and you don't have to be so formal," said Tara.

"And call me Bonnie," added the other.

Yori ducked her head. "Thank you, Tara-chan, Bonnie-chan." 'American culture was so open and direct, and moved so quickly,' she thought.

Tara giggled, and accompinied Bonnie to the locker room.

Back in the dojo they warmed up then proceeded to spar with each other.

Bonnie and Tara found Yori's Tai Sheng Pek Quar to be a surprise, but they recognized it as the same style Ron used.

Yori was just as surprised by the other two's unusual offense/defense coupling, and the grace, speed, and smoothness they worked together. It was difficult to find any way of getting through, but she finally managed.

They were taking a break when Ron stuck his head in. "Yori, our stuff has arrived."

Yori clapped her hands. "Wonderful news!" She headed for the door, Bonnie and Tara trailing in her wake.

Ron was holding up the Lotus Blade. "Wow, it feels good to have this again."

Yori recovered her weapon of choice; fans. She snapped them open and did a few moves,  
Kim, Bonnie, Tara, and Monique backed away a few feet.

"And it feels good to have these again," Yori said.

"Tomorrow, all five of us will start training together, to work as a team," said Kim. "It will be vital we do so, if this vision is coming true."

"A good idea, Kim-chan," said Yori. "I will look forward to it."

Yori went back to the dojo to practice with the fans, and at Ron's suggestion the others followed. They were amazed at the skill displayed with them. Ron set up a thick wooden bar on a stand, and with just a few swipes Yori made short work of it. This caused several mouths to hang open.

"That's amazing!" said Kim.

"Wow, with her on our side, we don't have anything to worry about," said Tara.

"I must respectfully disagree, Tara-chan," said Yori, "We must not lose perspective in light of a single technique."

"Okay, then, we have less to worry about," corrected Tara, smiling.

Yori smiled, blushing slightly, "That I will allow."

"Yori, what are your plans after this vision thing is over?" asked Kim.

She stopped and looked at Kim. "I had not thought that far ahead," she replied.

"Well, we want to offer you a permanent position with Team Possible," said Kim, and Ron nodded, smiling.

Yori was shocked. "You-- you want me to join your team?"

"You did come highly recommended," said Kim, glancing at Ron.

She bowed deeply to Kim. "It is a great honor you offer this humble ninja. I accept. I place myself, my knowledge, and my skills at your command."

Yori's face lit up with happiness. She had a home now, and a place on a well-respected team! This was a dream come true!

Everyone else applauded and congratulated her, and Yori was on Cloud Nine for the rest of the day.

kpkpkp

Days passed, and when she wasn't busy elsewhere, Yori could usually be found with Adrena,  
teaching her Japanese, or helping answer mail from there. The two of them, as different as night and day, seemed to hit it off, and enjoyed spending time together.

They found a Japanese restaurant, and Yori taught Adrena the finer points of that cuisine. In her turn, Adrena introduced Yori to many types of food from around the world. Middleton was surprisingly cosmopolitan when it came to places to eat. She enjoyed the products of the Middleton Pickle Works, as well.

Monique introduced Yori to Club Banana, and helped her pick out some clothes. Living for years in an isolated school left little opportunity to consider fashion.

One afternoon, Yori was teaching Adrena Japanese. The blonde picked up languages rather quickly, and Yori was pleased with her progress. Adrena was helping Yori understand American slang, and other difficult concepts.

Yori glanced at the clock. "I am sorry, Adrena-chan, but I must go. Ron-kun and Kim-chan are taking me apartment hunting this afternoon."

Adrena blushed slightly. "Well, if you're interested, I can save you a lot of trouble."

Yori looked at her friend. "Ah?"

"I have an empty bedroom in my apartment. It's yours if you'll pick up half the rent, half the phone, and half the cable bill," she answered, the blush getting deeper.

"I would not wish to impose upon your privacy," said Yori.

"Actually I would feel better if you were there," said Adrena.

"And why is that?" asked Yori.

Adrena proceeded to tell her about the kidnapping. As she spoke, Yori's expression changed to one of anger.

"They would not have found it so easy, had I been there," she said.

"That's why I'm asking," said Adrena. "I'm still a bit nervous about being alone, and it's been four months."

"When may I move in?" said Yori.

"Tonight, if you like. The bedroom is furnished; I've just never had a use for it,"answered Adrena. "There is one thing you should know about me first, though." She blushed.

"Ah?" said Yori.

"I'm a convicted felon. I tried to kill Ron, Kim, and her boyfriend a few years ago," said Adrena, looking down at her desk. "I understand if you don't want to live with me, now."

Yori smiled. "I know what happened, I remember seeing the broadcast. You have paid for your mistake, and have more than made up for it since then."

"It doesn't bother you, then?" asked Adrena.

"Not at all. I accept. I will be honored to live with you," said Yori.

That settled, Yori left to tell Kim and Ron, and make arrangements to move her belongings.

Adrena watched her go, a happy expression on her face, coupled with relief and hope.

That evening, there was a knock at Adrena's door. She opened it to find Yori. The Japanese girl had very little with her; just her black bag, and a few hangers with the clothes she had bought with Monique.

She stepped inside, and Adrena took the hangers from her. She put down the bag, and took off her shoes, placing them neatly by the door. This made Adrena a bit uncomfortable, as she still had on the high heels she had worn to work. But she knew it was just one of many changes she hoped to make in her life, very soon. She kicked off the high heels, and wiggled her toes.

"This is the living room," she said, sweeping her arm around. "That's the kitchen," she added, pointing to a darkened room.

Yori followed her down the short corridor. "Bathroom's here; I've cleared you out some space in the medicine cabinet."

She gestured to the right. "This is my bedroom, and this one is yours."

Stepping in, Yori looked around. There was a double bed, with side tables, a chest o'drawers, and a dresser. "This room is very large, and beautiful!"

Adrena looked at her. "Large? It's actually pretty small compared to some apartments I've lived in."

"My room at Yamanouchi was half this size," Yori clarified.

"I see. My cell in prison was too. And I had a cellmate, as well. That's the closet," said Adrena. She went to it, and slid open the door. She hung up the clothes as Yori took a look in it.

"This is very large too. I'll never be able to fill it with clothes," she said, and dropped her bag on the floor in the closet.

"Thank you for inviting me, Adrena-chan! I will endeavor to be a good roommate!" said Yori, bowing.

"Thank you for accepting! Here's your door key. I've told the landlord you were moving in already, so you're all set," said Adrena.

Yori accepted the key, ducking her head. "Are you hungry? I would like to take you out to dinner to celebrate!"

"Sounds good to me!" answered Adrena with a smile, "Let's go!"

And the relationship between the ninja and the publicist deepened.


	11. First Contact

Chapter 11 First Contact 

Two months later, Drakken was still elusive, but natural and man-made disasters still needed Team Possible's attention, and they did not neglect their duty.

Yori had slipped into the team just as if she had always been there. She and Adrena continued to grow closer. Ron and Kim spent a lot of time together, as well.

One morning, Adrena called a meeting, and everyone came to the conference room.

"I have an announcement," she said, looking very nervous.

Everyone looked around and shared a secret smile. Ron and Kim squeezed hands under the table.

"Or rather, WE have an announcement," she clarified, and held out her hand to Yori. The latter stood and joined her at the front of the table, taking her hand. She was smiling shyly, face red.

"I have a question," said Kim, seriously.

Yori and Adrena suddenly looked afraid.

"Are you happy?" she said, shocking them both.

They looked at each other with smiles. "Yes," they answered.

Everyone erupted in applause, taking the couple by surprise.

"All of you knew?" Yori asked.

Ron laughed. "To be a ninja, you're not always as subtle as you think, Yori. We've known for weeks. We were just waiting for you two to tell us."

The Japanese girl blushed harder.

"So... you're all okay with this?" asked Adrena, putting her arm around Yori's shoulders.

"Of course we are," answered Kim, "Why would your gender preference make any difference?  
We're your friends, and we support you."

"Thank you," said Adrena, blushing, "We were afraid you might hate us."

"Never gonna happen," said Bonnie.

Ron went over to Yori. "I do have a question, though. Were you ever really interested in me?"

"Hai, I was, until you told me about Kim-chan," Yori answered, "I do not know the English word, but I have always liked both genders."

"Bisexual," supplied Adrena, in a whisper. Yori ducked her head.

Bonnie and Tara hugged them both. "We're really happy for you," Tara said.

"Are you and Bonnie-chan a couple?" asked Yori in Tara's ear during the hug.

Tara let her go, and shook her head, blushing in her turn. "No, we're just really close friends, and have been for years, like Ron and Kim before they hooked up."

"You work so well together, I have wondered," said Yori.

"We've always been that way, for some reason. Ever since we met in middle school, we've been friends," said Tara, "We're as close as two straight women are ever likely to be."

"I hope my relationship with A-chan will be like that," Yori answered.

"A-chan?" asked Tara, brow wrinkling.

"A term of affection for Adrena-chan," Yori explained.

Tara giggled. "I like it."

kpkpkp

One afternoon several days later, Wade called Kim in her office.

"Kim, we got a hit on the site. An expedition to the wilderness in China has recovered a set of scrolls written by the Mystical Monkey Monks, and wants Team Possible to protect them. They got word that Monkey Fist is very interested," he said.

"That sounds like a good way to test our teamwork. Thanks Wade, I'll let the others know," she answered.

An hour later, the five members of Team Possible were in the air, heading for China. Kim,  
Ron, Bonnie, and Tara were in mission clothes, but Yori wore her ninja clothes.

The Kimjet Ron had bought Kim when he was rich from naco royalties had spent the last several years in storage, since she couldn't afford to fly it. But now it had been brought back into service. Wade had upgraded the robot pilot, and the plane now sported just about anything they would need on a mission.

Over the drop point they all donned parachutes, since there was no place to land. The Kimjet was cleared to land at the airport of the expedition's destination city.

Once on the ground, Yori melted into the foliage, and was gone. This was now a standard proceedure for Team Possible.

Ron had the Lotus Blade, but the others were equipped only with standard Team Possible issued equipment.

Using the sensors in the Kimmunicator, Kim located the expedition and led the way to it.

There were several trucks and jeeps waiting for them, the members of the expedition eating lunch. They stood and looked as Team Possible approached.

"Kim Possible!" said a familiar figure, shaking her hand, "It's good to see you and Ronald again!"

"Professor Akari? Why are you here? Aren't ancient scrolls out of your field?" Kim asked.

"Well, the original purpose of this trip was to find and study new species of insects," he answered, "Finding the scrolls was just a lucky happenstance. Then we heard of that 'Monkey Fist' person, and his interest in them, so I thought ofcalling you."

"Okay," she answered, "These are my other team members, Bonnie Rockwaller, and Tara Matthews."

"Very glad to meet you," said Akari, shaking their hands. Then he turned to the other people who were watching the greetings. "This is the extra security I was waiting for. Let's move on. It's still three days to home."

They got into the jeeps, and continued down a track so faint it could hardly be called that, and Kim wondered how the drivers knew where to go.

As they travelled, all four continued to scan the area for anything suspicious.

Several hours later they stopped for the evening. Bonnie grumbled about being sore from the bouncing around, but not too loudly. There had been no sign of Yori since they arrived, but they all knew she was nearby.

Dinner was brought out; make your own sandwiches with various condiments. Kim made two,  
and as soon as she could excused herself and went into the brush. She looked around, and Yori appeared from a deep shadow. She removed her hood, and ducked her head to Kim.

"Nothing to report, Okashira," she said.

Kim handed her one of the sandwiches. "That's good. Maybe he won't show."

"I know Ron-kun wants to meet him in battle once again," said Yori, opening the wrapping and taking a bite.

"Yeah, that really needs to be settled," Kim said.

Yori nodded, and took another bite.

"What was that word you called me? Oka...?" asked Kim.

"Okashira. It means 'leader'," answered Yori.

Kim nodded, smiling. "Okay. Thanks."

The next day and night passed without incident, but the last day before civilization was different.

About ten in the morning, Yori suddenly dropped into the jeep Kim was riding in without warning. This almost sent several members of the expedition into heart failure, until Kim told them Yori was part of their team.

"What is it?" Kim asked, turning to her.

"There are sounds of fighting in that direction, about half a kilometer away. The screams of monkeys can be heard as well," she said, pointing.

"That explains the weird feelings I've had all morning," said Ron, "Let's go."

"Bonnie, Tara, you stay here and guard in case it's a diversion," said Kim.

"On it," said Bonnie, and she and Tara started to walk the perimeter, communicators in hand.

Kim, Ron, and Yori crept through the forest in the direction indicated. Some ten minutes later, they came upon the first sign something was wrong. A dead monkey, dressed like a ninja, lay in their path, it's neck broken.

Ron drew the Lotus Blade, and they crept forward. Soon they heard the sounds of fighting,  
and moved in behind some bushes. They carefully looked between the branches.

All around the clearing were dead monkey ninjas. At least thirty had met their demise at the hands of three women who were standing with their backs to Team Possible. All three were dressed in Shego's jumpsuit, and had black hair down to their shoulders.

One was holding a monkey ninja by its neck. She gave a quick twist, and with a crack it stopped moving and screeching. She tossed it away like so much garbage.

The three looked down at a larger object on the ground; apparently a person.

"Your monkeys are defeated, and now it is your turn to join them," one of them said.

There was no reply.

Suddenly Ron jumped into the clearing, followed by Yori and Kim. At the noise, the three women turned to see what was going on.

"CeCes!" breathed Kim, and indeed that's what they were.

"Intruders!" said one of the CeCes.

"Identify," said another.

"Kim Possible and her sidekick, name uncertain," said the third.

"Ron Stoppable! How many times do I have to tell you that?" he almost shouted.

"Data added to file," said all three CeCes.

"Third person unknown," said the third CeCe.

Kim took a step forward, and the first CeCe held up her hand.

"Do not attack, Kim Possible, I have a message to deliver to you," it said.

"What is the message?" she asked, almost a growl.

The CeCe held her hands up about a foot apart, palms facing each other. A square of light appeared between them, and a moment later Dr. Drakken appeared on the square. He looked the same, except for a few strands of grey hair on his temples.

"Kim Possible!" he said, "I hoped this message would be delivered now. It's been a long time, but I haven't been idle! What you see here is Phase Two of my ultimate plan to rule the world!" He laughed his evil laugh. "I am eliminating all the villians who will not swear fealty to me! Monkey Dolt refused, so I set this trap for him."

Kim, Ron, and Yori came to a sudden realization.

"That's right; there never were any 'Mystical Monkey Scrolls'." He laughed again. "Phase Two is now at an end. Phase Three will begin very shortly. And if you want a hint of what that is, ask the CeCes what their production numbers are." The blue-skinned villian grinned, and disappeared.

The CeCe dropped her hands.

"What are your production numbers?" asked Kim.

"I am CeCe Number 10,455," said the first one.

"I am CeCe Number 789,008," said the second.

"I am CeCe Number 2,890,498," said the third.

Ron, Kim, and Yori looked stricken.

"Goodbye, Kim Possible, we will meet again," said Number 10,455. The three vibrated briefly,  
then disappeared.


	12. First Strike

Chapter 12 First Strike 

The three stood and looked at each other. What they had just seen sent shivers down their spines. Nearly three million CeCes! It was unbelevable!

Then they remembered the real victim of this encounter, and ran over to the still form. They had to step around and over dead monkey ninjas to reach him. As expected, it was Lord Montgomery Fiske, aka Monkey Fist.

He was lying on his back, face bruised and bloody, arms and legs at impossible angles. Kim whipped out the Kimmunicator, and called Wade.

"Wade, Monkey Fist is here, and may be dead! Will you give me a medical scan, please?" she asked.

"Okay, Kim, point the sensors," said the boy genius. He almost asked why bother, but knew by now Kim would only get mad if he did.

She did, and a beam of light swept over him.

"He's alive, but just barely. Nearly every bone in his body is broken, and several have been driven into internal organs. What happened?" he asked.

"He had an encounter with three CeCes," Kim answered. "I'll tell you the rest later. Can you get some kind of medivac here shortly?"

"Hmm... I think the city you're heading for might have one. Let me check," he answered, and the screen blanked.

Kim called Bonnie and gave her an update. Bonnie said she would check the scrolls and call her back.

Ron was looking at the dead monkey ninjas. He shook his head. He had long since gotten over his monkey issues, and now considered this a huge waste. Yori, who was trained in Monkey Kung Fu, felt the same.

Just then Wade called. "Sorry, the helicopter for the medivac is broken down right now, and won't be repaired for a few days. It's the only one for a thousand miles, too. I'm not sure what to advise."

Ron sighed. "I think I can stablize him enough to transport him on the jeep," he said.

Kim looked at him. "Mystical Monkey Power?"

"Mystical Monkey Power," he said, nodding.

He took a lotus position and centered. Then held his hands over Fiske's chest. After a minute, a blue glow started around his hands, and travelled down to the broken Monkey Master.

After several minutes the blue glow ceased. Ron sighed deeply, obviously very tired.

"Okay, he's safe to move, now," he said, yawning.

Fiske did not appear to be any different to Kim, but she trusted Ron's word.

Just then the Kimmunicator beeped. It was Bonnie. "You were right, Kim. The scrolls are fake, written on modern paper," she reported.

"Thanks, Bonnie, could you send some men with a stretcher? Ron says we can take Fiske out of here now," Kim answered.

"I'll do it," said Bonnie, and signed off.

kpkpkp

The rest of the trip was even slower, as they had to be careful not to give Fiske too much jarring. In the city, he was taken to the hospital for surgery and recovery. He never regained consiousness during the trip.

kpkpkp

On the trip home, Kim consulted with Dr. Director, giving her a full rundown on the encounter.

"This is very serious, Kim," said Dr. Director, "Just like Sensei thought, it's a threat to the entire world."

"If he has already built three million CeCes, who knows how many more are ready to go now?" Kim asked rhetorically.

I'm going to report this to every government, so they will be as ready as they can be," said Dr. Director.

"Are you sure they'll believe you? After all, the information comes from a 'shady operation'," said Kim.

Dr. Director looked at her. "Don't be bitter, Kim. You're better than that. Your team's reputation has been restored by your record since you officially opened. Believe me, I know."

Kim sighed. "Okay, I'll try not to be."

Dr. Director nodded, and signed off.

kpkpkp

At home, everyone had a meeting to lend input to the question of what to do, and how to handle this problem.

One area of agreement is that the battle suits would be critical. Wade had finished Yori's, and she was very pleased. He had modified its abilities to fit better with her ninja skills. In place of the 'jai-alai' glove, he had given it a stealth mode. The power consumption made its use limited, however. Unlike the others, it also had a hood. The eye lenses had infrared and multispectral capabilities.

It took considerable persuasion, but Kim finally convinced Wade to put an override on the time limit for the speed boots. The CeCes were at least as fast as the upgraded BeBes she had fought, and they weren't limited to twenty minutes a day.

When the original super speed shoes got stuck on them, she and Rufus had had to wait for the power to run down before they could get them off.

"One weakness I found out they have is water," said Kim.

"He might have corrected that," said Bonnie.

"Probably not, though. He didn't know what happened to the CeCe I took care of," replied Kim.

"That's an experiment we'll just have to try," said Tara. "Ron, why don't you go to Smarty Mart and pick up some super soakers?" She grinned at him.

Ron laughed. "Cause I still have mine. It's in my closet at home. I'll bring it in tomorrow."

On that note, the meeting ended.

As they started out the door, Kim said, "Oh, one last thing. Everyone into your battle suits. We don't know when or where they will strike, and need to be ready."

Kim went to Adrena's office, where she found her working on a lesson in written Japanese.

"Adrena, would you go man the Situation Room, please? We need to be kept up to date with everything going on," she said.

"Sure, Kim, I'll go there now," Adrena answered, standing up and taking the book and notes with her.

Kim sat at her desk, holding the Crystal and using it like a worry stone again. With the exception of the gloves, she was wearing her battle suit.

'Three million CeCes, and we're the only ones who even have a prayer of stopping them,' she thought, 'I could really use Shego's help about now.'

-one last gift- said a voice.

"What?" said Kim, standing up and looking around. There was no one there.

The phone rang, startling her. "Hello?"

"Kim, this is Dr. Director. I wanted to tell you--" said the voice on the other end.

Suddenly the alarms blared.

"Hold on, the alarms have gone off," she said, and put down the phone. She hit the intercom button to the Situation Room. "What is it?"

"KIM!" said Adrena's voice, "There are at least five CeCes outside!"

Kim quickly put away the Crystal, and put on her gloves as she talked. "Okay, get Francis and Monique where you are; it's the safest room in the building. Tell the others to meet me in the lobby."

"On it, Kim," said Adrena.

She picked up the phone. "Gotta go; the CeCes are attacking!"

"But--" she heard as she hung up the phone.

Suddenly the world turned green.


	13. Disaster

Chapter 13 Disaster 

Kim woke slowly. She was lying in the remains of her office, with something digging into her back. She groaned and rolled away from it. The battle suit had protected her. She was a little sore, but otherwise intact.

She sat up and looked around, trying to recover her bearings. There were small fires dancing in odd places. The CeCes were gone.

She stood and moved away from the building to get a better idea of the damage. As feared, it was extensive. The entire front of the building was destroyed by green plasma balls.

Just then, Ron, Bonnie, Tara, and Yori appeared through what was left of the entrance to the the back of the building.

"KIM!" shouted Ron, and ran to her, enveloping her in a hug. "Thank goodness! I was afraid..."

"I'm okay, Ron. How's everyone else?" Kim answered.

"They're all okay too. The Situation Room did its job and protected us. But most of the equipment is down," he answered.

The Kimmunicator beeped.

"What's the sitch, Wade?" she asked.

"Kim, you and Ron better head home! There are CeCes there!" he answered.

The couple looked at each other. "What about everyone else's homes?"

"They're okay, at least for now. GO!" he said.

She put away the Kimmunicator, and they hit the button activating the speed boots. Within seconds they were at the intersection where they separated to their own homes.

As Kim approached the house, she saw two CeCes standing in front, each holding a plasma ball, and aiming for the house.

"NO!" she screamed, and ran faster.

The plasma balls disappeared as the robots turned to her. "Intruder identified as Kim Possible," said one, but that was the last thing it would ever say.

The battle suit enhanced her strength, but nowhere near that of the CeCes. Nevertheless she slammed into them at top speed. But instead of just knocking them over, she picked them up and carried them down the hill to the duck pond near the house. Once there she let them go, and momentum carried them to the deepest part.

She turned off the boots, and watched them fall into the water. Then she was rewarded by the sounds and sight of them shorting out. She grinned. This bit of intelligence would make it possible to defeat Drakken's plan.

"A valiant effort, Kim Possible, but doomed to failure," said the voice of a CeCe behind her.

She turned quickly, just in time to see a third robot throw a plasma ball through a window.

Into Jim and Tim's room.

Where they kept their homemade rockets.

And the fuel for them.

Kim reached for the button to turn on the boots. She hoped to be able to get everyone out of the house before an explosion went off.

But fate was not kind to the young heroine. Almost instantly there was a blindingly white fireball that engulfed the house, even as the walls and roof were blown away.

The shockwave picked her up and threw her across the duck pond, where she landed in some brush and was stunned.

When she sat up, she saw the house was gone. Fires raged all over the top of the hill. Flaming debris had fallen on nearby houses, and was spreading the fire.

"MOM! DAD! JIM! TIM!" she shouted, running up as close as she could. The intense heat kept her back, despite the battle suit.

"WHERE ARE YOU?" she shouted.

There was no reply; just the sound of debris falling back down.

'Maybe they weren't home,' she thought. Just then she caught sight of the family car, what was left of it, where the garage had been.

She looked around and found the CeCe that had thrown the plasma ball half-melted and on fire. She gave it no more thought, and pulled out the Kimmunicator just before it beeped.

"Kim! I've--" Wade started.

"WADE! Is my family in there?" she interrupted, pointing the camera at the raging conflagration.

"I-- I don't..." she heard the click of keys. "I can't tell, there's nothing left! Let me check something... The last internal security scan I did was an hour ago, and everyone was home then."

She dropped the Kimmunicator, fell to her knees, crying, and the world went dark.

kpkpkp

"Kim!" said a familiar voice, breaking through the darkness of misery and despair. She felt familiar hands on her shoulders, lifting her up. Arms found their way around her, and she took comfort in them.

"Ron... my family... everybody..." she said, choking to hold back tears.

"I know, Kim, I know. My parents too," he said, hugging her even tighter.

The tears flowed freely from the young lovers, even as fire and rescue workers appeared on the scene. EMTs came up to them, and Ron assured them they were okay. The members of Kim's family had been inside, he told them.

"Was it one of those robots?" asked a policeman, gently leading them away from the remains of the house as firemen swarmed over it and the other houses on fire.

Suddenly Kim looked up at the officer, face calm. "Yes. Listen, this is very important. The CeCe robots are very strong, very fast, and very smart. But they are not waterproof. I've beaten three with water."

The policeman nodded. I'll spread the word," he assured them.

They gave their statements, and accepted a ride back to Team Possible Headquarters. Kim sat, calm and collected. Ron watched her carefully.

Leaving the police car, they approached the building, studying the damage. It seemed to be confined to the front, where the offices were. The rest of the field team came out to greet them, expressing relief they were okay.

"Our families are dead, and our houses destroyed," Kim told them in an emotionless voice.

The others reached for her, but she stopped them with a raised hand. "I'll grieve later. Right now we have a job to do."

Stunned, everyone watched her walk into the building. Then they turned to Ron.

"I've seen her do this before," he told them. "Because of my training, I can suspend my emotions, but I'll have to deal with them sooner or later."

Yori nodded knowingly.

"But she turns hergrief to ice, and herrage to determination. God help Drakken when she finds him, and anybody who even thinks of getting in her way," he said.

They caught up with Kim just as she stepped into the Situation Room. Monique and Adrena were at the console, but the screens had nothing but static.

"What's the sitch?" Kim asked.

"We're trying to get back on line," answered Monique.

Just then Francis stuck his head in the door. He was dirty, and carrying some tools. "Okay, I've spliced the broken cables. Try it now," he said.

Several switches were flipped, and the monitors cleared up. There were cheers all around.

One of the monitors was set to the Middleton News Network.

"...I'm Tricia Lebowski. Word has just come in that the women dressed in green who are resposible for the destruction and killing are robots named 'CeCe'. We have also been told that they are succeptable to water. I repeat, water."

Kim smiled grimly. The policeman had passed the word.

A piece of paper was handed to Tricia. "This just in. The worldwide death toll is now estimated to be..." her eyes got big, and she looked at someone off-camera. "Is this right?" she asked.

She didn't like whatever the answer was, and turned back to the viewers. "The worldwide death toll is estimated to be eight hundred thousand people, and it has only been three hours since the first reported attack."


	14. Plans Revealed

Chapter 14 Plans Revealed 

The members of Team Possible were stunned. Eight hundred thousand people! In three hour's time! Unbelievable!

Yori went over to Adrena, and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Monique sat with tears in her dark eyes. Francis stood with his mouth open. Bonnie and Tara were in shock, as was Ron. Kim stood showing no emotion.

Kim suddenly moved over to a blank monitor in the corner, and punched a code into the keypad. It should connect her directly to Dr. Director. The screen remained blank.

Wade appeared on another monitor. "Kim, I tried to tell you earlier; I've lost contact with GJ headquarters. I can get individual agents in the field, but apparently the main base is under attack."

Kim sighed. "Thanks."

"I've got more bad news. Will Du, the GJ agent in charge, has been injured, and is in the hospital," he added.

"Great," said Kim.

"The one piece of good news I have is that I still have control of one satellite. I can continue to look for Drakken," he said.

Kim nodded. "Keep me posted."

"What do we do, Kim?" asked Tara.

"Let me think," answered Kim, and left the room.

"She's wound pretty tight," observed Bonnie, "Think she'll crack?" She smirked.

"BONNIE!" said Tara, stepping away from her.

Ron rounded on her. "You've known Kim a long time, but you don't know her very well. She's the strongest person I've ever known." Understanding dawned in Ron's face. "You WANT her to crack!"

"No, I didn't mean..." said Bonnie, then turned red and hung her head in shame. "But I did, though, didn't I?"

Ron, Tara, Rufus and Monique glared at her, while Wade, Yori, Adrena, and Francis looked on in confusion.

"I'm sorry," Bonnie said in a low voice, "I guess my feelings of jealosy and rivalry aren't as gone as I thought."

"We need to support her, now more than ever," said Ron.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I just spoke without thinking," she said, tears in her eyes.

Ron's face softened, and he sighed. "I understand, Bonnie, but you should make an effort to do better."

"I will, believe me," said Bonnie, wiping a tear.

Tara put her hands on Bonnie's shoulders, kneading them gently. "It's okay, Bonnie, you're stressed, I'm stressed, we all are."

"Thanks, Tara," said Bonnie, patting her friend on the hand.

Kim went to the storage room where the tube to GJ headquarters was. She stood on it and waited. After two minutes, nothing had happened.

Her shoulders slumped. Team Possible was on its own.

She found herself in the Ready Room. The silence suited her mood perfectly. She sat on the couch and drew her legs up under her.

Sensei's vision seemed to be key. What if their interpretation was wrong? What if the five colors were something, or someone, different? What if Team Possible was only making things worse? Maybe they should surrender, if it would prevent any more bloodshed and destruction. Maybe that was the right interpretation.

Sensei's vision didn't promise victory, only hope.

Blood shed like-- She choked off that thought. She had to stay calm and collected, not only for herself, but for the rest of the team. They, and the rest of the world, were depending on her. She sighed. She had saved the world from Drakken dozens of times, but she had never before felt the weight of it like she was now.

Back in the Situation Room, everyone's attention was on MNN.

Tricia Lebowski's attention was drawn to someone off-camera. "I've just been told we have an incoming transmission from the person behind the CeCe attacks. Stand by..."

Ron hit the intercom button. "KIM! Drakken's on the air!"

A few seconds later she rejoined the others, just as the picture cleared up.

"Greetings, world! I am Doctor Drakken!" He raised his arms over his head and gave his evil laugh. "You are no doubt wondering why I have unleashed my army of robots on an ususpecting public. Well, the reason is simple; I want to rule the world!

The attacks will continue until every nation on the planet has surrendered to me! I will be in touch with the United Nations about it soon.

The choice is simple. Either I rule, or you live in a devestated world!"

Laughing, his image disappeared.

"Wade?" Kim asked in a steady voice, still looking at the screen where Tricia was back.

"Sorry, Kim, he routed the signal through so many relays there's no way anyone could get a fix. I'm trying to find clues in the transmission itself, but don't get your hopes up. He was really careful, this time," Wade answered.

Kim's expression betrayed no emotion, but her face turned red, and she left the room without a word.

The others turned back to the TV.

"We will keep you updated on that story as it developes," Tricia said. "In better news, the rumor that the CeCes can be stopped with water is true. This has led to small victories in numerous places. We have a tape of one such victory."

In her place came a picture of a CeCe outdoors. It was surrounded by five or six kids all about ten years old.

"Children," said the CeCe. "Threat: none."

They all launched water balloons at it, and it immediately shorted out and fell over.

"We can only hope this trend continues," said Lebowski.

Returning to the Ready Room, Kim sat and thought some more.

What would be the plan for Team Possible? What COULD they do? There were millions of CeCes,  
spread out over every continent, causing destruction and death whereever they went.

Should they wait for Wade to locate Drakken, then fight their way through tens of thousands of CeCes to get to him?

Well, that at least would be something to try, even if it was suicide.

"I really wish Shego were here," she said aloud.

-accept the gift- she thought she heard, just like earlier, before the office exploded.

She stood up and looked around. Nothing and nobody was there. And yet, it was somehow familiar.

Accept the gift? What gift? Maybe the pressure was getting to her, and she was going crazy.

Without any clear idea why she did so, she said aloud, "I accept the gift."

And the universe turned into pain.

kpkpkp

Unknown eternities later, the pain ceased as quickly as it had begun.

Kim opened her eyes to find herself on the floor of the Ready Room, with everyone standing over her.

"Kim?" asked Ron, "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, what happened?" she asked, accepting his hand to help her sit up.

"We were hoping you could tell us. We heard you screaming, and found you writhing around on the floor, but we couldn't find anything wrong, and couldn't wake you," said Adrena.

Ron, with Bonnie's help, got Kim off the floor and sitting on the couch. Francis brought her a glass of water, which she accepted gratefully.

"I have no idea... I thought I heard..." she said, her voice trailing off.

Suddenly, she DID understand. She knew EXACTLY what had happened, and why. She KNEW what the gift was.

She had planned this! More than a year ago, she planned this! Just in case! And now...

Kim put down the glass and stood up, watched by everybody. She took a deep breath, and held out her hands.

With just a thought, green flames with black highlights appeared around them, startling everyone, and they all took a step back.

"Uh, K-Kim, what's that?" asked Ron, pointing at her hands, fear on his face.

Kim looked at her hands, and a slow grin spread across her face. "A fighting chance to win."


	15. Team Possible Strikes Back

Chapter 15 Team Possible Strikes Back 

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Ron.

"Shego's glow? Yes, it is," answered Kim, raising her hands closer to her face to inspect the flames.

"What does it feel like?" asked Monique, her eyes wide.

"Actually, I just feel a mild tingling. What about you?" she said, holding out a hand toward Monique.

The dark-skinned girl reached out slowly towards the flames, but stopped several inches short. "It feels like something I really don't want to touch."

"How did you get this ability?" asked Adrena, going into reporter mode.

"Um... let's say she left it to me," answered Kim. "And I don't want any press releases on it. The CeCes and Drakken will find out soon enough."

Adrena nodded. "Not like I could write one anyway; my office is gone."

"Is this why you were screaming? Because you were getting this power?" asked Tara.

Kim nodded. "All of a sudden, everything was pain. I didn't know I was screaming, but my voice is scratchy now. It was from changes being made in my body so I could use it." She turned off the flames.

Just then Francis' voice came over the intercom. "Hey, everybody, come back to the Situation Room, there's been a development."

Seconds later they arrived, Kim in the lead.

The view on the TV was split into three parts, with the one on the left showing the Upperton City Hall, the middle the Middleton City Hall, and the right Lowerton's.

A different reporter's voice was providing commentary. "Apparently most of the CeCe robots in the Tri-City area have amassed at the three city halls. There appear to be about thirty or thirty five at each place."

Kim frowned. "Okay, team, that's our cue. We are going to go get our towns back." The old, confident Kim was back. There was no hesitation, no uncertainty in her voice. "Let's make sure we're prepared, and go take care of some business. Meet outside in five minutes."

Very shortly Ron, Tara, Kim, and Bonnie were outside. There was little damage to this part of Middleton, probably because nobody lived here. Smoke rose from several places, darkening the sun. Siriens could be heard wailing in the distance.

Yori and Adrena were standing in the ruined door, hugging and talking in low voices. Adrena was so much taller than Yori, and was stooping to reach her. They took a glace around, then kissed.

Kim and Ron looked away. It was too painful right now to see that love, considering what they had lost. They took each other's hand, and squeezed gently, exchanging a look.

Yori joined them a moment later. "What is the plan, Okashira?" she asked.

"All of us will..."Kim started, then stopped, looking across the street.

A CeCe was standing and looking at them. "Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable must die," it said, and advanced toward them. A plasma ball grew in its hand.

Ron grinned. "She knew my name!"

Kim ignited her right hand, and threw a plasma blast at it, and it promptly blew up, pieces scattering around.

"How did you know how to do that?" asked Bonnie.

"The knowledge of how to use the power came with it," answered Kim. "That will save a lot of time, since I won't have to learn as I go."

"Now everyone turn on super speed. We're going to Middleton City Hall. Take out every CeCe you can. Don't worry about being neat, just stop them," she added.

They all indicated assent, then hit the button to turn on the boots.

kpkpkp

The battle at Middleton City Hall was short and sweet. The streets were deserted, except for the CeCes, so they didn't have to worry about civilians.

Ron pulled the Lotus Blade, and plowed into the robots that turned to face him. He sliced through each one like it was nothing. Electricity danced around, but did not seem to touch him. Oil and other unidentifiable fluids were released, making the sidewalk and asphalt slippery for both humans and robots.

Yori used her fans to good effect, slicing through the front of each robot as it attacked, then pulling a water pistol and giving a squirt inside. Or she sliced off the head, arm, or any other appendage that dared come too close.

Tara and Bonnie preferred unarmed combat, and used their offense/defense pairing to stop the CeCes. Their suit-enhanced strength made it possible for them to knock off a head, or punch through a torso. Surprisingly, Tara was on the offense as well, and took out three on her own.

Six CeCes faced Kim. "Plan 12-B", said the one closest to Kim, and the others stepped out of defensive postures.

"What's 'Plan 12-B'?" asked Kim. For some reason the BeBes never hid their intentions, and she bet the CeCes didn't either.

"That is where the other units proceed to kill as many humans as possible, to stop you from interfering," it explained.

"NO!" shouted Kim, green plasma appearing around her hands. She threw a plasma blast at one CeCe, destroying it. "THERE!" Another blast, another CeCe down. "WILL!" One tried to sneak up on her, but she punched it in the chest, smashing through the metal. "BE!" The remaining three CeCes started to vibrate, starting up their super speed. But Kim was too quick. Three more green fireballs, three more robots destroyed. "NO! MORE! KILLING!" she shouted.

She stopped and looked around. All the CeCes were destroyed, and the team seemed to be okay. Just then the Mayor of Middleton came out of the building.

"Once again you've saved us!" he said to Kim.

"Later, sir, we're not finished by a long shot," said Kim. "On to Upperton!"

The five young heroes seemed to vanish, leaving the Mayor blinking in the dust.

kpkpkp

At Upperton's City Hall, they found a line of CeCes facing the building, plasma balls in hand.

Team Possible stopped, and the CeCes looked at them as one unit.

"I SAID NO MORE!" shouted Kim. The green fire ignited, and she threw a column of plasma at them, blowing them away like leaves in a hurricane. When the smoke cleared, all the robots were lying in a melted, smoldering mass.

"Split up and head for Lowerton. Destroy any CeCe you find," said Kim, and was gone.

The others looked at each other. Kim was using her rage and grief to good effect. Could they do any less?

They agreed on directions and were gone.

kpkpkp

They shortly regrouped just around the corner from Lowerton's City Hall. The CeCes were obviously aware of what had happened to their "sisters", and were waiting for them.

"Find any?" Kim asked as her teammates appeared.

"A few," said Ron, and the others agreed.

"They seem to be expecting us," said Yori, peeking around the corner.

"Well, let's not disappoint them," said Bonnie, and the battle was on.

The Lotus Blade sang as it sliced through CeCe after CeCe. Heads went flying from Tara and Bonnie's position, while Yori picked up a unit and threw it into others, taking them out.

Kim had ignited her hands, but instead of plasma blasts had waded into them, punching holes in torsos, smashing heads to scrap, and dismembering the remaining ones.

Suddenly it was over. The last CeCe in the Tri-City area was destroyed. Team Possible stood panting for breath as they surveyed the area for any strays.

"That was a good workout," said Ron, sheathing the Lotus Blade.

"Hai," agreed Yori, "I have not had such exercise in quite some time."

People came into the street, cheering for them. Kim barely acknowledged them. "Let's get back to headquarters," she said, and was gone.

"She isn't going to stay for the thank yous?" asked Bonnie, surprised.

"Not her way, Bonnie, you should know that by now," said Ron, "Only the job is important."

'And I always thought she was just too stuck up to notice the little people. Guess I can still learn something about humility from her,' Bonnie thought, and turned on her boots.

kpkpkp

Ron caught up with Kim just outside headquarters.

"You all right, KP?" he asked, taking her in his arms.

"Yeah, Ron, I'm fine," she answered, leaning into him. "That fighting did me some good. I'm not as upset as I was."

Inside, the five of them took showers and changed back to civilian clothes while their battle suits recharged. Ron, Tara, and Bonnie fixed lunch.

They all took naps, waiting for Wade to find Drakken.

On MNN, the word that Team Possible had destroyed the threat of the robots had spread, and order was being restored. Clean up had begun. Then the more somber news that the worldwide death toll had gone up to more than five million.

Late that afternoon Wade called. "Kim, I've finally found him!"

"All right Wade! You rock!" said Ron.

"Tell us," said Kim.

"He's taken over an abandoned military base built inside a mountain in the Rocky Mountains. It was built in the late forties, and abandoned in the early eighties. It's very well hidden, and according to the schematics, it's HUGE!"

The picture on the monitor showed a cutaway of the facility. It looked like the better part of the mountain had been hollowed out.

"It's also lined with lead and steel, and could probably survive a direct nuclear hit," he added.

"Here's a current satellite view." The picture changed. The edge of the mountain was visible at the top, with a huge double door open at the bottom. What looked to be tens of thousands of CeCes were outside.

They all groaned. "Oh, is that all," said Bonnie, with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

Kim stood in thought. "Well, as much as I'd like to go now, we can't. The suits still need time to recharge, and we're all tired. Let's go in the morning."

"I'm all for that," said Ron.

Everyone went home except Kim and Ron, who no longer had one. They had declined offers to stay at Bonnie and Tara's for the night.

They went to the sleeping quarters near the back and dropped onto bunks. It was way late before the young couple got to sleep. The horror of the day preventing an easy path to slumber. But finally pure exaustion took over.

Tomorrow, the final battles would begin.


	16. Interlude

Chapter 16 Interlude 

On the Kimjet the next morning, Tara sat next to Yori.

When she saw everyone else was distracted, she leaned over to the ninja. "I didn't mean to overhear while we were saying goodbye, but I wanted to tell you I liked that pet name Adrena called you, her 'perfect treasure'."

"Your pardon, Tara-chan, but she said 'golden treasure'," answered Yori.

"I know. But when used as slang, 'golden' means 'perfect'," she replied.

Yori smiled slightly. "I was unaware of that, thank you. But I do know she meant it in a different sense."

"Oh?" asked Tara.

Yori blushed. "It is in reference to the color of my skin."

Tara blinked. "Your skin color?"

Yori nodded. "Hai. A-chan finds my Asian features to be a... switch flip?"

Tara thought for a moment. "Oh, 'turn-on' is what you mean."

Yori ducked her head. "Hai, that is it."

"If it's not too personal, how do you feel about her Caucasian features?" Tara asked.

Yori shrugged. "I have never been one to notice such things. In combat, one must observe the outside of the opponent, to gauge the threat. But in other matters, in accordance with both the teachings of Yamanouchi and my personal feelings, I am attracted to the inside, who the person is, rather than what they look like."

Tara giggled. "You two are so different..."

Yori looked at her. "Not so different as you might think. In our jobs I walk in the shadows and she in the light. We are of different races, and are from different nations and cultures, but we have still found much in common in our interests, what foods we like, music, and so on.

"You and Bonnie-chan are very different, yet you are close friends," she added.

"True," agreed Tara. "In high school, I knew some kids who were of Asian ancestry, but you're the first person I've met who is actually FROM Japan," said Tara.

Yori nodded, smiling. "I hope I can serve as a worthy ambassador, then."

"I'll have to get you to tell me about it sometime, since I haven't been there yet," said Tara.

"It would be my honor," said Yori.

There was silence for a few minutes, then Tara looked at Yori.

"You're usually so reserved around everyone. I'm surprised you're talking to me about such personal things," she said.

"We have been teammates for some time now, Tara-chan, and yet we have seldom had a chance to sit and learn about each other. I thought this might be a good opportunity to do so," answered Yori.

Tara smiled and nodded, then fell into silence again.

Curiosity finally overwhelmed her politeness, but she hesitated before asking, "What do you see?"

Yori looked at her. "Your pardon?"

"When you look inside others. What do you see in them?" Tara clarified, sweeping her arm around the cabin.

Yori smiled and blushed a bit. "I will tell you the truth, Tara-chan.

When I look at Kim-chan, I see strength, leadership, confidence, and a strong moral sense.

Ron-kun is afraid of many things, but he does not let his fear rule him, especially when it concerns Kim-chan. Because of his training, he has gained much needed confidence, and will only do better as he achieves his destiny. His buffoonery can make even the greatest danger comical. That is a rare gift, and perfect for a Monkey Master."

"What about..." said Tara, pointing discreetly.

Bonnie was sitting across the cabin by the window, reading a romance novel. As she turned pages, she would sometimes frown, as though upset by what was going on in the book. She was unaware of being the topic of conversation.

"There is still much darkness within her, and it is near the surface. She does not know it, but she battles it every waking moment. But there is also love and caring. When she finds the right mate, that person will be very lucky," said Yori.

"Tara-chan..." said Yori, her blush deepening as she looked up at her.

Tara blushed in her turn and looked down. "I wasn't really asking about myself..."

"Tara-chan, there is a light that shines in you, and all can see it. Any darkness you have is a withered husk from that light. You have faced evil, and are no longer so innocent as you were. But experience has tempered that innocence into wisdom. You still believe in the basic goodness of people, and your desire to help is strong. Your mate too will be very lucky."

Tara turned red to the roots of her blonde hair. "At least you didn't say I was a 'dumb blonde'."

It was Yori's turn to blink and be confused. "What is 'dumb blonde'?"

"There's a stereotyped idea that girls who are blonde and blue eyed are stupid," said Tara.

Yori stared at her. "I would never say, or even think, such a thing!" she said. "If you were stupid, you would not be part of Team Possible."

Tara giggled. "I know. It's a cultural thing."

Yori shook her head. "You Americans, with your strange ideas."

"It's mostly used for jokes. Nobody really takes it seriously. I hope," she added.

"If I may ask without offense, do you know any such jokes? This is a part of your culture I did not know of," said Yori.

"Sure, I've heard them all. Did you hear about the blonde who got a headache staring at a carton of orange juice?" she asked.

Yori sat and thought, brow wrinkling in confusion. "No," she finally answered.

"That's because it said 'concentrate' on the carton," said Tara, grinning.

Yori smiled slightly. "I understand the joke, but not why it has to be a blonde."

"I guess it could be any particular group, but happened to be blondes," she answered.

"I see. I will have to consider this," said Yori, and lapsed into silence.

"Try thinking of it using a different set of people who have a common trait," said Tara.

Yori nodded, but didn't say anything else.

In the seats ahead, Ron and Kim sat together. Rufus lay curled up asleep in an empty seat across the aisle. He had learned to give them space occasionally.

Ron was watching Kim as she lit one finger, and was practicing with the plasma, careful not to let it get very far from her.

"That is SO cool, KP!" said Ron.

"It is, isn't it?" she answered. "I can see why Shego enjoyed using it so much."

"Are you going to keep it, once this mission is over?" he asked.

She looked at him, confused. "What?"

"It gave her cancer, remember. I don't want you to get it," he answered.

"Oh, that's because she used it for evil. That's what she told me during that visit," Kim answered.

"So... as long as you don't turn evil, you're safe?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess so..." she said, extinguishing the finger. It probably wasn't wise to use it in a jet. "And I probably don't have any choice about keeping it. Changes were made in me so I could use it."

He leaned over and kissed her, which she returned.

"I love you, Kim. Weird superpowers and all. I love you," he said with a grin.

"And I love you, Ron. Weird monkey powers and all. I love you," she replied.

He grinned. "You've got me there!"

"No, I've got you here!" she said, and grabbed him and kissed him again.

The robot pilot turned its head around, and addressed the passengers. "Ladies and gentleman, and naked mole rat, if you will look out the windows on the left side of the plane, you will see your destination."

Just as in the satellite picture, below them were seemingly endless numbers of CeCes, tightly packed around the entrance to the mountain lair. They didn't seem to be paying the jet any attention, as it was still high above them.

Some ten miles away, they parachuted to the ground.

"When we get there, I'll start clearing a path to the door. The four of you follow me, and take care of any that attack from behind," said Kim.

"Gotcha, KP," said Ron. Rufus had closed his special pouch on Ron's battle suit, ready to sleep out the fight. He would be pretty useless against the CeCes, since the tiny speed shoes he had worn had never been fixed.

"Everybody ready? Then let's go, and stay safe!" said Kim, and they all activated the speed boots.

Shortly they were just over a rise from the CeCes. Yori turned on her stealth mode, crept to the top of the rise, and took a look.

"The entrance is about two kilometers away," she reported, "I cannot say how many of them there are between us and our destination."

"We'll just have to find out, then," said Bonnie.

They walked to the top of the rise, in full view of the CeCes. The robots turned their heads toward the intruders, and paused, studying them.

"Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable must die," they said in unison, and turned towards them.


	17. A Sea of Green and Black

Chapter 17 A Sea of Green and Black 

Kim lit her hands, and stepped just over the rise. She turned to the left, and let loose with a beam of plasma into the CeCes. She turned in an arc to the right, and stopped the beam a hundred eighty degrees from where she started.

A second later, dozens of CeCes exploded, in an area fifteen deep around them. But more surged towards them.

Kim took several more steps down the hill into the cleared area, the rest of the team behind her.

Ron took off, brandishing the Lotus Blade. He leaped into the surrounding CeCes, and began to swing it at them. Again, nothing could even slow him down. The blade sliced robots in two, took off limbs and heads.

The CeCes lobbed plasma balls at him, but he quickly changed the Blade into a shield and warded them off, or turned on his battle suit's force field.

Using super speed, one of the CeCes came up behind and grabbed him, trying to crush him in its arms. Ron used the Mystical Monkey Power and Tai Sheng Pek Quar, quickly sending the offending unit crashing into others.

He was quickly surrounded by more, and they created plasma balls as one. Ron turned in a circle, then slipped on a patch of sand, falling on his back just as the plasma balls were released. They flew across and destroyed the CeCe standing opposite.

"Nice work, Ron. Clumsy much?" asked Bonnie with a smirk. She offered a hand.

"Hey, it worked didn't it?" he replied, taking it and standing up.

A CeCe tried to hit Bonnie while her back was turned, but Tara was there. She grabbed the arm and tore it off, then slammed the robot in the head with it. Its head flew off, flying into the distance, and the body fell, electricity arcing.

"Better keep your mind on what you're doing," said Tara, softly, dropping the arm.

"Uh, right. Thanks, Tara," Bonnie replied.

Yori was keeping another bunch of robots busy. They could see the effects of her fans, but could not find her. She kept moving, changing direction at random so they could not get a 'fix' on her.

She would duck and slice legs out from under them, then turn and slice off heads. The robots were confused, and milling about trying to find her at random.

A tiny speaker in her hood gave a warning bell that power for her stealth mode was dwindling rapidly. She lept over several CeCes and onto a boulder standing several feet taller than them. Crouching down, she turned off the stealth mode.

Looking around she found a group that was facing away from her, and not part of the ones trying to find her. She readied her fans, and leaped on them, tearing slices through the cloth-covered metal of their bodies. She destroyed more than a dozen before they were able to center on her.

Tara and Bonnie were back to back, surrounded by CeCes who had given them a respectably wide birth.

"Destroy them," said many CeCes at once. But they had learned their lession with Ron's fall-down manoever. Two of them created plasma balls, and launched them toward the pair. The young heroes raised their hands, and the "jai-alai" gloves appeared. They each caught a plasma ball, and returned them to the thickest part of the group of robots.

There were two rather satisfying explosions, and many of them fell, never to rise again.

Four of the CeCes ran at Yori, arms raised to grab her and tear her apart. She jumped straight up into the air, and the four crashed together. Yori came down fans first, and sliced them to pieces.

Kim saw another low hill above the CeCes, and jumped onto it. She looked around, and all she could see to the horizon were green and black clad robots. They had destroyed hundreds, maybe thousands, but many more than that still remained.

"Give up, Kim Possible," said one of the CeCes, "You cannot win. There are only five of you against 16,459 of us remaining."

Kim was tired, but that kind of talk just made her more determined than ever. "Here's my answer," she said, and blasted the robot.

Just then she noticed a commotion far away. There were hovering craft in the distance, with people swarming down lines, firing weapons as they did. Kim recognized the craft and uniforms as GJ issue. She grinned. The calvary had come at last.

"If you surrender now, we will grant you and your companions a merciful death," said another CeCe, gaining her attention.

Kim lost her grin. "Okay, that's it," she growled to the unit. "I've had enough."

"You give up, then?" asked the CeCe.

"The only thing I'm giving up is wasting any more time with you," she answered. She pulled out her Kimmunicator, and hit a special button. This connected her to the other four team members, overriding anything they may have been doing on their own coms.

"This is Kim. Hit the deck, NOW!" she ordered.

Ron, Tara, Yori, and Bonnie quit fighting, and lay down very quickly. The CeCes around them stopped, the illogic of the move freezing them for the moment. But it wouldn't last long. Whatever Kim was going to do, she needed to do it quickly.

Kim raised her arms, and green plasma burst around her. She closed her eyes and concentrated,  
building up power.

The CeCes around her stood and stared at her, unsure of what to do.

A blast of plasma suddenly radiated from Kim in all directions save up and down. It spread out rapidly, engulfing the robots. Every one it touched was destroyed. Kim was left at a ground zero of sizzling metal and burning cloth. It had been tricky, getting the plasma to burn out before it reached the GJ agents, but she managed.

She had deliberately spared the last CeCe that had talked to her, and she now looked at that unit. "How many of you are left now?" she asked it.

After a moments pause, the CeCe answered, "214."

"Thank you," said Kim, and blasted it. "But it's 213 now," she corrected.

She jumped off the hill, and joined the other members of her team, who had stood up and were surveying the battlefield.

"You okay?" she asked them, hugging Ron.

"Yeah, KP, we're all fine. What about you?" he asked.

"Tired, but I'll make it," she answered. "Now, let's go finish this before GJ gets here to spoil the fun."

She turned and walked toward the mountain, still a kilometer in the distance. The others looked at each other, and at Kim's retreating back, and followed her.

They finally stood at the tall steel doors of the lair. They were closed tight. Kim placed her hands against them where they joined, and fired up the plasma. She started pushing against them, the strain becoming greater as she tried harder. The plasma glowed brighter.

The other members of Team Possible leaned against the doors to either side of her, and helped push. A metallic creaking could be heard, slowly growing louder.

Minutes of straining later, they felt something give, and the doors flew inward, crashing against the walls they were attached to. They looked into the cavernous room to find more CeCes waiting for them.

"Oh, wonderful," muttered Bonnie.

But Kim was no longer in a mood to play. She spread her arms, and a blast of plasma erupted from her entire body. It filled the room, destroying uncounted robots as they melted and shorted out and were blown apart.

The other members of Team Possible stood with their mouths open.

"Go, KP," said Ron, eyes wide as he stared at his wife-to-be.

She strode forward, using her plasma to blast the remains of the CeCes out of her path as she approached the closed doors on the other side of the room. A sign above read "Control Room".

She arrived, still studying the doors. Then she ignited the plasma over her body, and set herself.

"HeeYAH!" she shouted, kicking the doors with all her might.


	18. Shego's Legacy

Chapter 18 Shego's Legacy 

The steel doors to the control room suddenly burst inward, tearing from their hinges and making a loud boom as they landed. Henchmen scattered, trying not to be under them.

The five members of Team Possible strode in. Yori with her fans ready, Ron with the Lotus Blade. Tara and Bonnie were ready for anything. Kim had turned off her plasma.

It was a large room, filled with communications equipment, and monitoring equipment for both the CeCe factory and those in the field.

Dr. Drakken walked out of his office on the level above the main floor, and rested his hands on the railing. He leaned over towards them, and they looked up at him.

"Come in, it's open," he said with a grin. "I might have known that twenty thousand CeCes wouldn't stop you."

"DRAKKEN!" screamed Kim, catching sight of him.

"That's my name, don't wear it out! Welcome to Shego's Legacy!" he said with a flourish.

"I'm going to..." started Kim through clenched teeth, then stopped. "Wait. What did you say?"

"I said, welcome to Shego's Legacy," replied Drakken.

"You named your lair 'Shego's Legacy'?" asked Ron.

"Why yes, I thought it appropriate. It's MY take-over-the-world scheme, but I chose Shego as a theme for it," he answered.

"Dare I ask why?" asked Kim in a dangerously calm tone.

"To secure her place in the annals of history. After this she will be hated and feared for the rest of eternity," he said proudly.

"You sick, twisted..." said Kim, but couldn't continue, the bile threatening to reach her throat.

"Oh, come now, Kimberly Ann, she was a supervillian. What better way to honor her memory?"  
he asked, reasonably.

Kim turned red in the face, but though her features twisted, she couldn't make a sound.

"What I want to know is, how could you afford all this? I know your assets were confiscated last time we captured you," said Ron.

"Ah, a good question from the buffoon. The answer is, I had a little help in that department.  
And here is my financier!" he replied.

A figure in the shadows stepped forward. To Kim and Ron, it was familiar, and proved to be someone they knew when he stepped into the light.

"Ah, Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable! My old foes! It has been quite some time since we last met! You are well, I trust?" said the old man, leaning on his cane.

"Senor Senior, Senior!" said Kim. "Should have thought of that. Where's Junior?"

"Junior, pfah! He is at home. He refused to have anything to do with this scheme. I fear he just doesn't have the makings of a villian," replied Senior, in a sad voice.

"At least one of the Seniors has shown some good sense," said Kim.

"A matter of opinion, and one I disagree with," said Senior.

"Is that it? All questions answered? Anything else before we get down to business?" asked Drakken, looking down at them.

Kim looked at Drakken, and scowled. "Yeah, I have a question. What's happened to you? You've never killed anyone before!"

"Oh, yes, about that. After she was gone, I discovered that Shego had been holding me back. By insisting that nobody be killed in one of my schemes, of course they failed! It was all her fault! Now I can reach my full evil potential!" he laughed.

"I am sorry, Drakken-san, but once again, you have failed. Your army outside has been defeated, and Global Justice has arrived as well," said Yori.

"Who's she?" asked Drakken, "And those other two? Although that one with brown hair looks familiar..."

Bonnie scowled, then looked embarrassed. She had been part of The Ron's posse when he had the naco royalty money, and had betrayed him like the rest.

"Members of Team Possible, that's all you need to know. And you won't know it for very long," said Kim, her voice almost a growl.

"Oh, now that I have to disagree with!" he snapped his fingers, and suddenly they were surrounded by henchmen carrying automatic and semi-automatic weapons, all trained on them.

"Goodbye, Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable! It has been good to know you. I have not met your companions, but I am sure they will keep you company in your next life!" said Senior, giving a mock salute.

"Real guns?" asked Ron, "That's new."

"Yes, buffoon, no more knocking you out and tying you up. Just killing you and getting rid of a major thorn in my side," replied Drakken. "Ready? Aim..."

Team Possible took stances. They turned on their force fields, and waited. The power drain from them meant they didn't have long.

"FIRE!" shouted Drakken, and Senior covered his ears, while watching eagerly.

Gunfire ripped through the control room, all of it aimed at the five heroes. The force field robbed the bullets of momentum, and they dropped to the floor. No ricochet meant nobody could get hit by accident.

They split up, heading for the surrounding henchmen. Yori suddenly vanished, putting the stealth mode to work. Ron, Tara, and Bonnie proceeded to charge through the men with little difficulty, slicing through weapons with the Lotus Blade and grabbing guns and smashing them, or twisting the barrels to uselessness with enhanced strength.

Kim just stood there, ignoring the fighting, and looking up at Drakken and Senior. She was finally letting the rage out, and by their suddenly worried expressions, they could tell.

"You want to know what Shego's REAL legacy is? I can show you!" said Kim, having to shout over the noise of fighting.

Green flame burst out around her entire body. Drakken stared, wide eyed.

"Th- that's impossible! She's dead!" he said in a faint voice. "How can you do that?"

Kim gave an evil grin. "That's for me to know, and you know the rest." She started walking forward toward the ladder that led up to where the villians were.

"Men! Stop her!" shouted Drakken, pointing at Kim.

The red-suited henchmen turned and started towards Kim.

Kim stopped, and turned up the temperature of the plasma.

The henchmen came to a dead halt ten feet from Kim. The raw heat from the flames prevented them from getting closer. She turned it up some more, and they started backing up to get away.

Drakken and Senior could feel it from their position some twenty feet above her.

Nearly as one, the henchmen threw down their weapons, and made for the ruined door. The other members of Team Possible let them go, knowing they would be captured soon enough. The temperature in the large room continued to climb.

"Okashira, turn down the heat! You must not damage the controls!" said Yori.

Hearing her, Kim turned it down, but did not otherwise acknowledge Yori. She walked forward to the ladder, and started climbing.

"Oh, no," said Drakken.

"Perhaps we should leave now," said Senior.

"No. Not this time. I will be rid of Kim Possible," he said. He reached in the folds of his blue lab coat, and pulled out a pistol.

Before he could even get a good grip on it, it was swatted out of his hand. A white-suited Kim Possible grabbed him, and slammed him against a wall, feet off the floor.

"You... monster. You murdering monster. Five million people dead because of your mad scheme. Never again. I'm going to do what I should have done years ago," said Kim. Her face showed the rage she had been holding in.

Drakken was terrified, and sweating bullets. He tried to protest, but couldn't find his voice.

Kim held him against the wall with her left hand, and drew back her right. Bright green flames with black highlights burst out around it. Kim bared her teeth. "You killed all those people. You killed Ron's parents. You killed my family. It ends here, and now." Her right hand closed into a fist.

Ron, Yori, Bonnie and Tara had arrived by that point.

"Kim, don't do it. He's beaten," said Ron.

"I haven't even touched him yet," said Kim, softly, and the flames grew brighter.

"You must not do this, Kim-chan. It would change you forever," said Yori.

"K, it isn't self-defense, now. He's helpless. It would be murder," said Bonnie.

"Kim, please, I don't want to lose you to the darkness," said Tara.

Kim's chest began to heave, and she took deep breaths. Her fist wavered, and Drakken's expression changed to one of faint hope. Her grip loosened a bit, and he slid down the wall several inches. Tears appeared in her emerald eyes.

Suddenly she screamed, as loudly as she could, and swung her fist forward with all the strength she could muster.

Seconds later, Drakken opened his eyes and looked to his left, and saw Kim's fist buried up to the wrist in the stone wall, green flame still licking around it, scarcely two inches from his head. He promptly fainted.

Kim pulled her hand from the wall, and threw Drakken to the side, where he lay in a heap.

Beep beep be-deep!

Kim pulled out the Kimmunicator. She keyed it open, but did not say anything.

"Kim! I have good news!" said Wade, "I've re-established contact with Global Justice!"

Dr. Director appeared on the screen. "Good work, Kim! I wanted to let you know that your and Ron's families are safe! They are here at GJ headquarters. We picked them up not long before the CeCe attacks began. That's what I was trying to tell you on the phone."

"Thank you," said Kim, then turned the unit off and returned it to its pouch. She turned to Ron, and buried her face in his chest. The tears began.

Senior heaved a huge sigh of relief and said, "I surrender."


	19. Not With a Whimper

Chapter 19 Not With a Whimper 

Kim clung to Ron. "I couldn't do it," she sobbed, "As much as I wanted to, as much as he deserves it, I- I just couldn't."

He held her close and stroked her hair. "I know, I know. It's okay, Kim. It's over."

Just then the BonnieCom beeped. Surprised, its owner answered.

"Bonnie, GJ has arrived, but there are still things that need to be taken care of," Wade told her.

Bonnie made an exasperated sound, then glanced at Tara. Tara frowned at her, and Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Fine. What do we need to do?"

"The CeCe factory needs to be shut down, for one thing," was the answer. "Go to the main floor and find the controls."

"Go," said Yori, "I will look after the prisoners."

Bonnie and Tara took the short cut by leaping over the rail and down twenty feet to the main floor. Their battle suits and cheerleading skills protected them. They looked around, and found the controls by a sign over the console.

"Um... this is pretty complicated, Wade, what do we do?" asked Tara as Bonnie pointed the camera at it.

"There are several things that need to be shut down, and in a certain order. Otherwise the whole place could go up," he answered.

"SO like a villian. Can you walk us through it?" asked Bonnie.

"Maybe, but let me try first. Do you see a plug anywhere?" he asked.

"Here's one," said Tara, pointing.

"Plug the BonnieCom into it, and let me see what I can do," Wade said.

She pulled out the cord and started to plug it in when movement at the door caught her attention. GJ agents were cautiously entering. When they were spotted, three of the agents aimed their weapons instantly.

"FREEZE!" yelled one.

Bonnie and Tara raised their hands, and the agents surrounded them, just outside easy grabbing distance, guns never wavering.

"Team Possible, Rockwaller, Bonnie, IC004."

"Team Possible, Matthews, Tara, IC005."

One of the agents used a comlink to check their identities.

"Confirmed," he said, "Stand down."

The other agents lowered their weapons, and Bonnie and Tara lowered their hands.

"Agent in Charge McHenry," he said, "What can we do to help?"

"Unless you know how to shut down a robot factory without blowing it up first, not much," Bonnie replied, jacking in the BonnieCom.

"While I'm doing this, see if you can shut down the remaining CeCes around the world," suggested Wade.

"Is there anyone else here? asked McHenry.

"Yes," said Tara, pointing to the upper level, "Kim, Ron, and Yori are up there. They have captured Dr. Drakken and Mr. Senior."

McHenry nodded to two of the agents, and they headed that way.

"Here's the CeCe controls," said Bonnie, standing in front of a different console. This one was much simpler, having a keyboard incorporated into it. She sat down, and studied the monitor. "Okay, main menu..." she muttered, using the mouse.

She found what she was looking for; a code to transmit that would make the CeCes all around the world shut down.

She typed it into the appropriate field and hit "send". The computer acknowledged the command, then proceeded to display a clock, set to 15:00.

kpkpkp

Just after Tara and Bonnie left in their unconventional manner, Senor Senior approached Yori, who eyed him warily.

"We have not properly met. I am Senor Senior, Senior," he said, bowing.

"Yori," she answered, giving a proper Japanese bow, except she didn't take her eyes off of him.

"New to Kim Possible's team, I take it?" he asked.

"Hai. I had the honor to be accepted a few months ago," she replied.

"She has always been a formidable opponent, and after observing you in action, I am certain she will be more so in the future," he said.

Yori smiled, accepting the compliment while not beleiving a word of it. "I am not certain you will ever have a chance to find out."

He chuckled. "We shall see."

His attention shifted to Kim and Ron. Kim was slowly getting herself back together. "I am glad she did not kill Drakken, much as he deserves it. It would have destroyed her as a hero and a person, and I would not have that happen."

Surprised, Yori looked up at him. "But Drakken is your partner, and you wanted us all to die."

"True," he admitted, "But I follow the rules of villiany, while he does not. I found it most distasteful and dishonorable for him to kill Lord Fiske as he did."

Yori almost admitted Drakken's plot in that quarter had failed as well, but stopped herself.

"I observe she has a new ability. It appears to be the same as the late Ms. Shego's," he said, nodding at Kim.

"Hai," replied Yori, "But that is not my story to tell."

If Senior was disappointed in her answer, he did not show it.

Just then the GJ agents arrived below them.

"Everything under control?" one called.

Yori glanced at Senior, who was leaning on his cane, looking at Kim and Ron, then at Drakken, who was just beginning to stir from his faint.

"Hai! You may come up and take our captives into custody," she responded, looking down at them.

"Hey! Where'd he go?" said Ron.

Yori looked around but Senior was gone. Drakken was groaning and trying to sit up. Kim was looking at him with anger.

Cursing in Japanese under her breath, she looked for possible destinations. How could that old man move so quickly and quietly? Letting him escape was her failure, and she had to get him back.

"He was there one second, then he wasn't," said Ron, waving through the air where the old villian had been standing. "He pulled out a box with a button on it, and pressed it."

The two GJ agents arrived and helped Drakken up. They put cuffs on him, and led him to the elevator nearby. "At least YOU'RE not getting away," one said.

"What's that note?" Ron asked, pointing to something by Yori's feet.

She looked, and found a neatly folded note on the floor. She picked it up and unfolded it carefully, but found no traps or powder.

"Do not concern yourselves with me. By the time you find this note I will be far away. Farewell,  
Team Possible, until we meet again. Be well! S.S.S."

"Maybe he was a hologram the whole time," guessed Ron.

"No, he couldn't have left the note, then," said Kim.

"Oh, yeah, right," said Ron.

"I'd guess some kind of matter transmitter, then," said Kim. "Well, he's gone. So what's next on the agenda?" Then she saw the look on Yori's face. "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't know he had an escape like that ready."

Yori nodded, but still looked unhappy.

The lighting in the area turned red, and alarms blared. "Warning! Dispatched CeCe robots have been shut down. Self destruct code used. Detonation in fifteen minutes. All personnel evacutate!" said a female voice.

"That's our cue to leave," said Ron, and headed for the railing, Kim and Yori right behind him.

"What did you do?" asked Tara.

"I have no idea!" said Bonnie, looking helplessly at the monitor. "I used the code that was given."

"Must have been a trap," said McHenry.

"Let's go, guys!" shouted Ron, heading for the ruined door with everyone else. Drakken was being half-carried by the agents.

Bonnie grabbed the BonnieCom and unhooked it.

"Aw, man! I was just getting to the final process!" said Wade.

Outside they joined the other agents as they climbed aboard the helicopters and hovercraft that had brought them. By the time everyone was aboard, there were two minutes remaining. The craft rose from the ground and away from the field of devestated CeCes.

They watched as the mountain shrank in the distance and the timer reached zero.

There was a loud CRUMP! and smoke poured from the main door and from all kinds of hidden vents. The mountain itself seemed to rise up for a second, then settled back down and broke apart into rubble. It collapsed on itself, crushing the base and the CeCe factory beneath millions of tons of stone.

Smoke continued to rise from the ruins.

There was cheering from all in the GJ craft, except for Drakken, his henchmen, and Yori.


	20. Aftermath

Chapter 20 Aftermath 

Team Possible was dropped off at the Kimjet, which was waiting for them at a private airport. Soon they were aboard and heading for Middleton.

As they rested, they watched the TV News reports were coming in that the CeCes had inexplicably shut down all over the world, and were being destroyed while the chance had come. The final death count had risen to over seven million people.

Then some new information became available. Team Possible, led by internationally renowned hero Kim Possible, was responsible for the elimination of the CeCe threat. Once again, they had saved the world.

"I guess Adrena is responsible for that report," said Ron.

"She is," answered Wade, "I've been keeping the rest of the team up on events."

Kim sat by herself, staring out the window but seeing nothing. They had stopped Drakken's scheme at a huge cost to the world. How many more such schemes were waiting? Why didn't she kill him long ago?

"I was weak," she said softly. "I was weak and the world has paid for it."

"Iye, Kim-chan," said Yori, sitting down beside her. "You were very strong. You did not give in to your rage and hatred and desire for revenge. You did the right thing. Now the proper authorities will deal with him."

Kim shook her head, but made no other reply.

"Senior-san was right. If you had killed Drakken-san, it would have destroyed you as a hero and a person. And I must say that is a price the world, and you, cannot afford to pay," said Yori.

Kim looked at her. "He said that?"

"Hai. I think he admires you," Yori replied.

Kim smiled. "He always did have a strong sense of what is proper."

"In this case, I think he shows much wisdom," said Yori.

Kim sighed. "I think you show a lot as well. Thanks. I do feel better about it."

Yori ducked her head. "It is my honor to help."

kpkpkp

Middleton International Airport was mobbed by what might have been the whole population of the Tri-cities waiting for them.

In the lobby they found their families waiting for them, Bonnie's and Tara's as well.

Adrena was waiting for them too, and she moderated the interview with the press. She was really in her element, passing questions to the appropriate person, and answering others herself.

Kim made sure to emphasize that Shego had not been a part of Drakken's scheme. She demonstrated Shego's glow, and said it had been key to beating the CeCes. But she kept secret how she had gotten it.

"Wow," said Jim to Tim, "Sis has Shego's power. COOL!" They high fived.

The Doctors Possible were a bit worried, and resolved to talk to Kim about it later.

Bonnie was loving all the attention, while Tara seemed to be embarrassed by it. Kim and Ron were used to it, while Yori tried to be inconspicuous while not actually pulling a ninja-style disappearing act.

When the interview was over, the Mayor of Middleton took them outside where they discovered an improptu parade had been organized. They tried to beg off, but nobody would hear of that.

They also had to agree to attend a banquet in their honor the next evening.

An hour later they were dropped off in front of Team Possible Headquarters. Repairs were already under way.

"Mr. Miller? You're doing the repair work?" asked Kim.

The contractor smiled at her. "Free of charge, too! After the way you prevented that fire from spreading and destroying my lumber yard, not to mention saving the world again, it's the least I could do."

"No big!" said Kim, "Anyone could have used a tank truck full of liquid nitrogen to put out a fire!"

Bonnie rolled her eyes and shook her head. Tara put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look that said 'behave'. Bonnie broke away from her and went to her parent's car.

Bonnie's and Tara's parents took them home for the night.

Inside, Kim, Ron and Yori were met by Francis, Monique and Adrena.

"Adrena, you did a great job with that interview! Thank you!" said Kim.

The older girl smiled. "Thanks! That's the first time I've been on camera in several years. It's still quite exciting."

"FREAKY!" she added, pumping a fist.

Kim and Ron and Rufus looked at her strangely.

"Kidding, you two. I haven't said that in years," said Adrena, smiling and pulling Yori to herself.

Kim went to the remains of her office and recovered the box with the Crystal. It was a bit scorched, but intact. Inside, the Crystal was fine, but seemed dimmer, somehow. Kim imagined it was because some of the power of it was now in her.

When asked, Mrs. Possible revealed that they would be staying with Aunt June until the house was restored, and the Stoppables would be staying with relatives as well.

One thing bothered Kim. "Since the house was destroyed, I don't have any banquet clothes, just my battle suit, my mission clothes, and what I was wearing before we left."

Monique answered, "Girl, if that's all you're worried about, come on. The mall was damaged, but Club Banana survived and is open. Let's go!"

They dragged Ron with them, kicking and screaming, since he didn't have anything to wear either.

Francis decided to go find a tuxedo store and left, which left Yori and Adrena alone. They had kept their relationship private, and had not paid more than polite attention to each other since the arrival at the airport.

Finally alone they hugged tightly, and kissed.

"I have missed you, and been so worried," said Adrena.

"And I missed you," replied Yori.

"Next time, aim between the eyes," said Adrena smiling.

Yori pulled back and looked at her, puzzled. "Your pardon?"

"Never mind, just an 'American-style joke'," was the answer.

"Let us go home," said Yori, "We must decide what to wear tomorrow night."

"Oh, is that all you have in mind?" asked Adrena, pouting.

Yori eyed her. "Perhaps we may find some form of entertainment to occupy our time before the banquet." She smiled shyly.

Adrena grinned. "Now THAT'S my golden treasure!"

kpkpkp

Drakken's trial was held a month later, under the auspices of the United Nations. It was televised world wide, and was one of the highest rated events ever on television.

Investigation had found no link between Drakken and Senior, except for the eyewitness accounts of Team Possible. The note he had left was missing; presumably under the mountain. He also provided evidence of his whereabouts during the time in question, so no charges were forthcoming against him, much to the frustration of Team Possible.

Drakken was sentenced to death by gas chamber, and that was held two weeks after the trial ended. It too was televised.

As he was led to his place of execution, he looked over at Team Possible, who were there in person. He stopped walking, and stared directly at Kim.

"Kim Possible, you think you're all that... but you're not!" he said, then turned and went into the chamber.

A great evil had been taken from the world, but the five members of Team Possible all knew there were others waiting in the wings.

As time passed, life slowly got back to normal. At least, as normal as it ever got for Team Possible. But it wasn't to last. It never did...

The End

Author's note:

In Chapter 1, Francis working at Nasty Burger in Amity Park is a reference to Danny Phantom. Adrena working in a cracker factory is a very oblique reference to The Simpsons.

Bonnie and Tara taking a firearms course is an answer to a number of writers who feel that, because Team Possible doesn't use such weapons, they have either not been exposed to them, or are ignorant of them. I find this to be an unwarranted assumption.

The conversation between Tara and Yori about Adrena's attraction to Asian girls reflects a real fetish. It isn't politically correct, but it is real. This is discussed more in the "M" (i.e. "R") rated side story "Getting Together".

Thanks muchly to all my reviewers!

There will be at least one more story in this series, but the events of it are jumbled up right now. I also have a third Danny Phantom story to write, so please be patient!


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